Even Villains Deserve Happily Ever Afters
by Hey-Diddle-Diddle25
Summary: Maleficent has been defeated, and the kids from the isle have finally been accepted. Here's what happened afterwards (or a serious of short stories about our favorite villains' kids. No pairings).
1. What Defines Us

**So guess who just watched** **Descendants? That's right: me. And did I like it, yes I did. It's a cute movie with its issues. Did I love it? Well... no. Not really. I was kind of disappointed in the way everyone just kind of brushed away how they treated the kids during the rushed little ending. Ah well, overall I figure the movie was good. Perhaps a 3/5.**

 **Anyways, this will be a set of random shorts set after the movie. Feel free to leave any ideas just please, PLEASE, no pairings or slash or whatever they're called. I prefer friendships and am aware that some of the characters relationships extend past that I don't think that's all that defines them. That being said, yes, Mal and Ben are dating in this and- most likely- the rest. I'll add on to this whenever I have spare time and reviews fuel my fire, just so ya'll know.**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Like most things, no one meant to figure it out.

It's unfair to call it an accident because that's not what it was- not really. They just forgot that they've spent their entire lives being told that they were right and could do no wrong that it came as a shock when they realized that might not have been entirely true.

It happened after their son's crowning- after the defeat of Maleficent- when they called the four kids from the isle together so they could talk. Ben was against it of course, protesting that the kids had just gone through some sort of ordeal, though no one but them really knew what, and it warmed their hearts to know their son was so selfless and protective, but they refused to back down on the matter.

So they called them in- just the four of them alone for the first time since arriving at the school, and to their credit they didn't look afraid. They were just standing around waiting for either the king or queen to speak, to give them some sort of clue on why they were suddenly all being signaled out.

"You're probably all wondering why we called you here," the king said first and he didn't miss the way the kids rolled their eyes as he continued, "It seems that the four of you are the only ones who can tell us what happened yesterday- when Maleficent attacked us."

It might have been a trick of the light but he could've sworn he saw them all flinch slightly- like the mere mention of the name brought back something dreadful and he realized his son might've been more right then he'd like to admit. The kids were strong, though, the expression disappearing as quickly as it came and three of them looked at the purple haired girl- Maleficent's daughter, he's told, and Ben's newest girlfriend.

She seemed to take a steadying breath, trying to calm something inside of her, before she looked steely gazes with him and asked, "What is it you'd like to know?"

He blinked, her voice strong in a way he's not accustomed to with children, and a quick glance around at the other children's faces and he realized that they were all staring at him with unrelenting expressions. It was almost like he- a literal beast, once upon a time- didn't frighten him; not after everything they've already seen.

What went on that isle?

"I'm told that you four were the ones who defeated her," he said in a calm enough voice as he looked at each of them carefully now, taking in even the tiniest reaction for some sort of clue.

Beside him, he's aware his wife was doing the same thing which was good because she's been much better at this then him. He suspected she always sort of knew and was letting him speak because this was something he needed to figure out on his own.

"Not really us so much as it was Mal," the white headed boy corrected, gesturing towards Maleficent's daughter with a point; she smiled slightly at the praise, bowing her head like she was afraid of someone seeing.

"Ah. I see," he said with a nod, eyes narrowing on her as he asked, "That's quite a feat for someone so young. I'm impressed."

"Thanks," the girl said as she swallowed and locked her eyes back with him before she shrugged and continued modestly, "It was nothing."

It wasn't nothing but he couldn't decide if she really was being modest or wanted him to let the matter drop.

"Uh, yeah," the long haired boy interrupted with a clap of his hands and asked, "If that's all then we'll just be going."

They turned like they were going to leave and- to his surprise- Belle stepped forward suddenly calling after for them to stop. They did, looking at her unsurely.

"We're sorry about the other day," she said firmly looking in all of their eyes, "at croquet. We realize that it had gotten out of hand, and we're sorry that we allowed for it to go that far."

He swallowed, feeling her hand circle in his as she urged for him to do the right thing and back her up in the matter. He nodded but said nothing; the kids just looked at them like they had suddenly grown second heads.

"It's not a big deal," the girl- Mal- replied with a wave of her hand, "Really. I mean, we get it. We grew up on an island full of villains. What is there to expect? And it's true."

She stopped, swallowing, and it was then that he realized that they weren't upset by the words so much as the truth behind them. As much as he tried to think otherwise, the kids had feelings and were trying so hard to ignore them until then.

"They had no right to say those sort of things to any of you," he declared and felt his wife squeeze his hand in approval, "Any of us, really, and my wife is right. We let it get out of hand and for that I'm sorry."

And he meant it.

He really did.

"We don't need your apologies," the long haired boy reassured and though he was smiling it was about the way it didn't quite met his eyes that unnerved him, "and it's okay. It's true, anyways and we might have overreacted."

"No," he denied with a shake of his head because he knew now that they hadn't; everything that was said was true, and that's what had hurt them the most. Chad knew that, which was why he had said it.

"Sir, really," the blue headed girl interrupted earnestly as she continued to gaze up at him like she knew something he didn't, "It's not a big deal and neither was the Maleficent thing. It's just a part of growing up on the isle."

There it was, out in the open, and he felt his wife stiffen beside him.

"You're no longer on the isle-" Belle started but was interrupted by Maleficent's daughter again when she burst out in sudden laughter.

"You joking?" she demanded and something about her expression and laughter reminded him of the Mistress of all Evil, "Do you even have any idea why our parents even let us come? Why they agreed to all of this?"

"Mal," the other girl protested softly but her friend just held up her hand as she continued determined now, something in her eyes revealing that she wanted them to hurt now.

"They _agreed_ ," she continued with a certain edge in her tone, "because they wanted us to steal the wand and destroy everything you've created, everything you've ever cared for and finally have their vengeance. We were just the tools in getting there."

None of them seemed bothered by her use of ' _tools_ ' but Belle did beside him and some part of him was also. He didn't let it show, instead just continued looking in her eyes hoping to find some shard of a lie but came up with nothing. They're parents had only been using them and he couldn't help but wonder for how long.

She broke away first, shaking her head as laughter bubbled from her throat again and she demanded, "You really don't know anything about the isle, do you?"

He didn't answer, and they took that as permission to leave.

They left as a group, close enough to touch if any of them wanted to but that wasn't how they drew their comfort so they didn't. It was enough to just be near each other and the door clanging shut behind them was what finally broke whatever spell had been casted over the room.

Belle gasped, horrified, as her knees weakened and both her hands covered her mouth as she asked, "What horrors did they witness on the island?"

"Don't know," he admitted eyes still narrowed on the spot they all left from, "but I intend on finding out."

* * *

Ben wasn't much help, telling him what he already knew: the kids didn't like talking about their parents and whenever they did it was always cautious like they were afraid of them, they drew comfort from each other and they've expanded their group slightly but even then they didn't really have what the four of them shared alone.

He remembered on the field when his son asked Maleficent's daughter to be his girlfriend and how the long haired boy seemed to look after the other kid during the game, how well they had worked together. The coach even confided to him once that it was the long haired kid's idea to let his friend out in the game.

They were a close knit bunch, capable of letting others in but not completely.

He already knew that, though, and it wasn't until his son suddenly grew real somber, eyes turning too young and vulnerable as he spoke in a soft voice, did he realize how bad it might've been.

"I think Carlos's mother abused him," Ben admitted and he sounded so scared all of a sudden- like he could never imagine a parent treating their child cruelly- as he quickly added, "Not physically but I think she made him go through some terrible stuff. He gets… weird, like he's expecting someone to pop in and order him around. I asked Mal about it once and she got real serious and told me to never bring it up ever again."

He blinked, not sure how to reply as he looked at his son's eyes as they practically begged him to make it better. To undo whatever had been done to them.

"And I think Maleficent belittled Mal, convincing her that she wasn't good enough and that she was weak," his son continued and he thought back to that girl and thought that was impossible because she seemed so strong _then_ , "and when I took her out on our first date she told me that she didn't know what love is, like she's never experienced it before."

"Of course she hasn't, Ben," he interrupted unable to take much more, "They grew up on the Isle of the Lost. Love was never the villains' strongest forte but surely they loved their children like all parents-"

"No Dad," Ben interrupted with a shake of his head as he leapt to his feet and practically breathed, "They'll all like that. It's like they're constantly waiting for the next strike, constantly afraid of someone saying something stupid and hurting them, and I know they're strong but, Dad, their just kids. Like me."

He had a brief vision of people treating his son like he saw the four of them be treated and something foul made its way up his throat. No wonder his son was so protective of them, it all just seemed so _awful_ and _wrong_.

"I know Ben but it's all better now. Maleficent has been defeated and they're safe here-"

"We can't keep them locked up here forever Dad," Ben reminded sounding very old all of a sudden as he sat back down and admitted, "Besides, I think they hate it here. Not as much as back on the isle but all we've done is change one prison for another."

"Ben-"

"Don't say I'm overreacting because I know I'm not. It's gotten _better_ but not good. They still don't feel like they're wanted and, I don't know, perhaps people treat them like that when I'm not around," his son interrupted fiercely and his eyes were practically burning now.

"I'm not trapping them here," he finally replied, hoping to calm his son down some, "They're free to come and go as they please. Maleficent's gone and everything will be okay."

"For us maybe," Ben snapped, "but what about the others? They all have parents too, with their own sets of problems."

"What are you saying son?" he pressed, wishing his so would just come out and say whatever he wanted to say.

Ben looked at him then, eyes filled with the same despair they held when he begged for him to allow them to join them, "They all have parents, Dad, and just because one person is gone doesn't mean that that all that abuse they've lived with on the island will just go away."

He swallowed, knowing his son was right.

There was only so long someone could take of being told that they weren't good enough, weren't strong enough, un-loved before they started believing it themselves.

* * *

They didn't seem to improve.

They acted happy, allowing plenty of people to join them as they talked and laughed and just hung out, but he knew it was all just an act. It was the small things that set him off: eyes shifting towards the isle, the slight flinching whenever someone unfamiliar touched them, the way their smiles hardly ever seemed to reach their eyes.

Ben wasn't ashamed to admit that he was concerned about them and he reported everything he felt comfortable reporting to his father in hopes of him fixing it like he had before. Even then, he never really understood until he somehow ended up alone with Jay after practice.

The other boy seemed content in not acknowledging him and Ben swallowed something hard before he walked up to him, cautious of keeping his distance. It was no secret Jay was the most… physical out of the four of them.

"So… uh, how are you liking it here?" he asked trying to not sound too awkward.

Jay turned, raising an eyebrow at him, before he burst out laughing and replied as he playfully punched at him, "It's better than on the island, that's for sure."

"What do you mean?" Ben prodded and Jay dropped his hands to his side as he shrugged, shoving his clothes back in his locker.

"It's nicer here," he explained and though his smile never faltered there was something hard in his voice, "Cleaner. Better things to steal, that's for sure."

"Stealing is wrong," Ben recited one of the major things his mother had taught him and was surprised when Jay turned a confused expression on him.

"Says who?" he demanded before realization seemed to strike and he nodded with another grin, "Oh right, your parents. I keep forgetting."

"Forgetting what?"

"That it's different here," Jay admitted and he wasn't smiling anymore as he bowed his head; when he looked back up, though, the smile was back as he added, "You snobby kids have no idea how well you have it, no offense."

Ben waved the comment off, more interested in the fact that Jay just admitted his father had encouraged him to steal. If his father ever caught him doing that then he'd be grounded forever.

"Jay, did any of your parents do anything to you?" he suddenly blurted and then felt regretful when the boy's sudden hardened expression turned on him; it was one he hadn't seen before and it frightened him.

"Why? Has any of them said anything?" he demanded and his voice was cautious as he straightened his back so he was staring in the prince's eyes seriously now.

"Uh… not directly," Ben admitted with a slight shrug, "It's just the little things, you know? Why? Have they?"

Jay sighed, slamming his locker door shut before turning to him and growled, "Don't ever repeat what I'm about to tell you to another soul, but all this perfect little parents thing is different then what we're used to. Our parents aren't like that. They only care about certain things and we're not very high on those lists."

"What?" Ben asked, appalled at the words because there was no way their parents couldn't just _not_ love them. They were their kids.

"Cruella only loves her furs," Jay explained in a hard sort of voice, "the Evil Queen her looks and Maleficent her revenge and stupid pet crow."

And Ben felt like he was pushing it when he asked, "And Jafar?"

Jay glanced away, "Whatever I can bring him at the end of the day. Everything I know about stealing I've learned from him, you know."

"Sure," Ben agreed though he hadn't really- had just expected he had butterfingers because he wasn't used to all the nice stuff not found on the isle.

Jay chuckled again, the noise sounding dry, when the door clanged open and Carlos's loud voice called out, "Jay? What's taking so long? Jay? Oh-"

The smaller teen turned the corner and Jay's face changed so fast Ben was almost convinced he had never not looked like he did then as he practically beamed at his smaller friend, something mischievous spreading across his features.

"I was just leaving," Jay explained as he slung an arm over his friend's smaller shoulders and they headed out of the room- not before the boy shot Ben another warning look before being drawn in to whatever Carlos was saying.

Ben swallowed, feeling a lot worst about the whole thing then before.

* * *

Mal figured out what he was doing the next time she saw him, frowning in disappointment as she crossed her arms and accused, "You don't trust us."

"What? Of course I trust you," he protested instantly, flashing back to the cookie incident and swallowed; if she offered him anything to eat then he'd refuse.

"Then why are you asking so much about our parents and the isle?" she demanded still sounding angry.

"Because I'm worried," he admitted and her expression softened fractionally as her shoulders slumped.

"This isn't something you have to worry about," she reassured softly, "It doesn't concern you and, in case you haven't noticed, we were doing just fine without all of your concern."

"It's not that," Ben rushed instantly, "I just don't want you to feel like you don't belong or aren't wanted. You are, and I just want to show you that."

"I know," Mal sighed before touching his cheek and whispered, "but we already know that. Our parents don't define us."

"But you're still scared of them?" he asked and hated the way she hesitated before nodding her head slightly.

"Of course. Not so much me anymore since my mother's been defeated but the others, sure. They're not the same as your parents, and they're not kind but they're still our parents and we do love them. For now, that's enough."

"You sure?"

She nodded again, a rare genuine smile crossing her features as she replied, "Sure and you don't have to worry so much. We might not be perfect but we're getting there. Our parents don't define us."

"Absolutely."

And he did back off, knowing that that's what they needed and- at the moment- that was enough.


	2. Apples Don't Always Float

When it all came down to it, it was all Ben's fault.

It had been his idea that the tourney team hung out more after their most recent victory; something they've never really done before in the past because no one had really felt the _need_ to. They were all close enough- a group of rich pretty boys on the same team- but that all changed when the villains' kids joined them.

So Ben declared that they all hang out somewhere, get to know each other a little better. He figured it couldn't hurt, after all he realized he knew very little about some of his teammates that tend to stay in the background.

He was surprised by how quickly the team took to the idea, though, everyone seeming to be eager to just hang out after a game and Chad _offered_ his home. Unfortunately his house was also equipped with a huge pool and with quick instructions to the other boys to bring their swimsuits he was gone, leaving Ben with a sour feeling.

Mal told him that she didn't know how to swim because the barrier prevented anyone on the island to get in the water. She also told him that there wasn't any swimming pools they could all learn in so none of them had.

"Are you two going to be alright with a pool?" he asked Carlos and Jay, whom he barely managed to catch up with; they looked at him like he was crazy and he briefly wondered why he was the only one who seemed concerned.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Carlos questioned with a slight laugh as he raised an eyebrow at him.

"Because you can't swim," Ben explained like it was obvious because- to him, at least- it was but they just laughed again as Jay punched him in the arm though not as aggressive as when they had first arrived.

"So we won't get in the pool," he reasoned and it made sense but couldn't shake the feeling that it was a mistake and that he should've argued more, offer up his own home but his parents would kill him if he did that.

Several hours later and he was arriving at Chad's house dressed in his swimsuit and immediately made his way to the pool, having visited the house frequent enough to feel confident in being able to find his way around. He immediately spotted Carlos and Jay sitting in two of the chairs that lined the side of the pool.

They waved him over once they noticed him and he smiled as he made his way towards them. Dude was sitting beside Carlos in his chair, the teen's hand stroking the fur almost unconsciously as he grinned up at him.

"Hey man," he greeted and he nodded before his gaze cut over to where the rest of the team was splashing around like a bunch of idiots; he decided he'd much rather sit and watch as he settled himself beside his new friends.

They didn't protest and soon were chattering about seemingly nonsense until Jay stood up, declaring that he had to go to the bathroom. He waved off Ben's invitation on showing him the way and with a quick goodbye, disappeared in the house.

Ben watched him go before settling back in his seat.

One of the boys on the team splashed at them as he urged, "Come on you two, it's funnier in here anyways."

"Oh, no thank you," Carlos denied with a shake of his head that Ben was quick to mimic although he was getting a little hot; perhaps when Jay returned he would jump in.

"Oh Master Ben," one of the many housekeepers said as they suddenly rushed over, cautious to stay away from the side of the pool as they pleaded, "I could use your help in the kitchen if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not," Ben reassured as he rose from his seat and after a quick grin goodbye to Carlos he followed the housekeeper in the house.

As it turned out, they needed his help testing the snacks they had prepared for the team- something he was eager to comply to and he had just finished his fourth mini sandwich when he heard it.

Barking.

From the direction of the pool.

"Oh dear," he gasped rushing out of the kitchen as he tried to force himself to convince himself that it was nothing, Dude was just barking- except he hardly ever barked.

He made it out back by the pool, panic tightening in his chest when he realized that the place he left Carlos was empty and several of his teammates were hovering around the pool- the shadows of laughter already fading as they realized something was _very_ wrong.

Ben rushed to the side, catching a flash of red and black swim trunks as the thin body lashed out near the bottom of the deep end. He didn't need any more incentive then that, gracefully leaping in after him.

He _knew_ this was a bad idea and swore his heart stopped when the body stopped lashing with such a desperate vigor as before. His hand clamped around a thin wrist and he immediately kicked off the bottom, dragging the almost too limp body up with him.

They both came up sputtering, Carlos's head seeming to loll back near his shoulder but he was blinking groggy eyes open which was good. At least he was alive and awake as the older boy paddled to the edge of the pool, Jay suddenly appearing out from nowhere as he hefted his smaller friend out from the pool dragging him away from the edge.

Carlos continued to cough and hack up the water in his lungs, Jay patting his back supportively as he kept a tight grip against his arm and he waited until Carlos gave him a slight nod- he was fine, he'd live and it was all over- before he spun to glower at the other boys.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" he demanded, voice angry in a way Ben's only heard once at the crocket game when he stood up against Chad when he had been insulting Evie, "He could've _died,_ and you all just stood around watching!"

"We don't understand," one of the boys muttered as his eyes shifted from the still coughing Carlos to the now furious Jay, "It was just supposed to be funny."

"Do I look like I'm laughing?" Jay shouted as he took a threatening step forward, probably dangerously close to hitting someone; Ben decided it was time to step in as he climbed out from the pool.

"They can't swim," he explained, earning everyone's attention as they stared at him.

Jay's eyes only seemed to darken as he growled, "How do you know that?"

"When I took Mal on our first date she jumped in the lake to save me when she thought something was wrong, only she almost drowned," and it was then that he realized he probably shouldn't have admitted all of that out loud.

To his surprise, Jay just narrowed his gaze as he asked skeptically, "Mal tried to save you? Our Mal?"

Ben just nodded, trying to read the other boy's expression, when Carlos sputtered again and Jay immediately returned to tending to his friend.

"We're leaving," Jay finally decided as he helped Carlos up to his feet, Dude appearing from nowhere, begging to be picked up, which Carlos quickly complied and Ben didn't miss the way Jay walked casually on his side where the rest of the team were standing. Watching with dumb expressions.

No one bothered to stop them, too afraid of Jay to even _dare_ speaking up and Ben felt the burnt edges of his panic and adrenaline start to ebb away as he finally dismissed himself from the party.

* * *

The event was known by the whole school by that Monday, meaning not only was Mal angry with him but had stopped speaking with him completely and every time he saw one of them the other three weren't far behind and he realized it never struck any of them that _not_ _being_ _able_ _to_ _swim_ would be such a big deal until then.

Carlos, at least, looked fine and would ignore most of the looks he received in a day as he played with Dude. He was also the only one out of the four of them that didn't seem to blame him for what happened, which he understood why it was his fault. It was his idea and he left him alone with the rest of team who _just_ _didn't_ _know_.

That still didn't comfort Ben as he found his eyes gazing to them more and more with terrible possibilities running through his skull: what if they ended up somewhere by themselves and accidently fell in and they couldn't swim and drowned or what if someone maliciously cornered them and shoved them in water. The list continued and he spent most of his time fretting over it, worried about something happening to any of them.

That was why he had been surprised when a couple of the other kids on the team approached him one day after practice.

"We think someone needs to teach them how to swim," they proclaimed and he was too shocked to do anything but blink dumbly at them.

"I'm sorry," he finally said once he found his voice to ask, "What?"

"You need to teach those four how to swim," one of them clarified with something akin to worry in their eyes as the pleaded, "What if next time no one's around to rescue them."

Something he figured he shouldn't be worried about- it hadn't been a problem with them _before_ \- but couldn't seem to stop himself from worrying. Already he's rescued two of them from nearly drowning and he wasn't fond of the idea of what would happen if he wasn't there next time.

So he ended up knocking on Mal's door, not at all surprised to find the rest of them sitting in the large room. She frowned upon seeing him, poisonous green eyes glaring.

"I know you're probably still mad at me, but I think it's about time for the four of you learn how to swim," he explained quickly and Mal blinked at him like he declared the sky was purple.

"I'm sorry?" she asked leaning against the door as she demanded, "What?"

"You heard me," he replied smoothly as he continued to look at her, "you four need to learn how to swim. You're not living on the isle anymore and there's already been too many accidents-"

"Wait," she interrupted voice deceptively even as she demanded, "Is this about our date because that is not even remotely the same-"

"Yes it is," he protested with a firm sort of gentleness as he added softly, "Please. It'll make me feel better."

And apparently she couldn't resist his pleading expression or agreed with him because the next day he found himself with the four of them at his house dressed in bathing suits and unsure expressions. He just grinned and welcomed them warmly before ushering them out to his pool.

No more near drowning accidents were going to happen.

He was going to make sure of that.


	3. Fairest of the All

Ben had been looking for Mal, knocking on the girl's door only for it to be answered by her pretty blue headed friend.

"Oh, hello," he greeted not even bothering to hide how he was trying to peer over the other girl's shoulder to try and catch a glimpse of the purple haired teen whom he had more than a little crush on.

"Mal's not here," the girl informed him and he glanced at her, trying to discern any emotions but she was smiling as she leaned against the doorframe- and not in that creepy way some girls did when they tried to take advantage of the privacy.

"Well… where is she?" he asked friendly enough, trying to remember the girl's name, who was starting to grow impatient, like she had been the middle of something when he interrupted.

"Out," the girl replied cryptically.

Evie.

Her name's Evie.

"Do you have any idea when she'll come back?" he pestered and she shook her head, finger tapping against the door now as she continued to stare at him.

"Okay," he nodded rocking on his heels awkwardly, "What were doing anyways?"

"Homework," she responded simply, bright eyes gazing at him as she waited for a reply and the expression wasn't so much eager as it was curious.

"Homework?" he repeaterd, not able to hold back his surprise because no one was eager to get back to that, "Why?"

"Because," she replied with a tip of her head, long curls falling to the side as she continued staring up at him earnestly, "I have a test Friday and want to be ready."

"No cheating?" he teased but the way her eyes momentarily darkened signaled that he probably shouldn't have said that.

As quickly as it appeared, it went and she forced a smile to her face as she replied a little less sweetly than before, "Look, I appreciate everything you've done for us but we're not friends and I'd appreciate it if you stop pretending like we are."

"What?" he gaped because no one has ever said that to him and there were times he was aware that people were hanging out with him because of who his parents are but nothing like just now; he supposed they were right, the Isle of the Lost kids weren't like the rest of them.

Not that he found anything wrong with that.

"You're dating one of my best friends," Evie continued and though she was no longer frowning she didn't really look happy, "Your teammates with my other two and- I don't know- I think Carlos considers you his friend but us? The only thing you and I have in common is them, and I'd appreciate it if you stopped pretending like there's more."

"Huh," he muttered, shocked by her words and the truth he realized were inside them.

He never spent much time bonding with her, just knew she was the daughter of the Evil Queen and was as smart as she was pretty. She's also skilled with a sewing machine if the dress Mal was wearing at his crowning was any indication; something he knew several girls gawked at as they whispered amongst themselves, trying to figure out who the designer was.

"Okay then," she said first, breaking the silence as she puckered her lips before flashing him another brilliant smile before moving to slam the door in his face.

He stopped it with his hand before he had time to consider how creepy and desperate that would make him look, and he was surprised when she just opened the door again.

"What?" she demanded and she looked annoyed, which was fair since he was technically harassing her.

"Can I wait for Mal here?" he asked because he still wanted to see the girl and he no longer cared that he was technically begging, "I'll be real good. I promise."

She rolled her eyes but no longer looked as annoyed as she was amused, stepping inside to gesture him inside with a wave of her arm before muttering, "No wonder Mal's crazy about you. You look so much like an adorable puppy."

"Puppy?" he asked with feign hurt as he grinned thankfully and stepped inside, "I'll have you know ma'am, I am no puppy."

"Course not," she agreed as she slammed the door shut behind her and walked past him to return to the large pile of homework sitting on the desk, "Mal would've eaten you alive by now if you were."

He shuddered at the thought, wondering why Mal even bothered with him. He knew she had only been using him at first, when the enchanted lake washed away the love spell, but then she jumped in to rescue him and fed him an anti-love spell and he couldn't help but wonder when things started to change for her.

Probably the same time it had with the other three as he recalled Jay's less than gentle approach to teamwork and Carlos's fear of dogs and how the girl in front of him only seemed to care about catching a rich prince. Now, it seemed, she could care less about boys and was more invested in the books, though he had to admit her and Doug always looked so cute whenever they hung out.

"So… um, how's Doug?" he blurted after a long pause of her ignoring him, and he wished he was better at this but he's never had to force someone in a conversation before.

"He's good," she replied without looking up, "You know, very kind and no longer finds the need to stalk me wherever I go. In a way, he's kind of like you."

"Huh? What?" he asked as he blinked at her in surprise because he's never been compared to the dwarf's son before but something about the way she said it, the ease in her tone, signaled that it wasn't such a bad thing.

"You know," she elaborated as she finally turned back to him, pencil on the desk and it was so strange to see such a pretty girl so invested in her academics, "Kind. Morally good or whatever. You're both one of the few people who showed us any kindness when we first arrived."

"What? Really?" he asked though he had always suspected as much, thinking back to the crocket incident and feeling bad that he hadn't done more to stop it.

"Sure," she shrugged, "which is the only reason I let you in here."

"Please," he snorted teasingly, "you could've probably taken me."

She smirked and something about the way her eyes glistened dangerously made him feel uncomfortable, like it hadn't been her she was afraid for. That's when he remembered she survived on the isle along with her friends and all of them- except Jay- looked so scrawny and defenseless at first.

He was quick to learn that that wasn't the case at all.

"Perhaps," she agreed with a dip of her head before she pouted slightly, extending her hand in front of her as if to examine her nails before she added, "but I'd probably have to break a nail first and Mom would've _killed_ me-"

She stopped, like she realized what she had just said, dropping her hand back in her lap as she found something on the ground really interesting to stare at. It sent chills down his spine, especially considering with them he could never tell when they were joking or not about their parents.

"Evie?" he asked, voice feather soft now as he continued to eye her with concern.

She blinked, shaking her head, as she reassured, "I'm fine. It's nothing. I mean, my mother wasn't like _Carlos's_ mom-"

She stopped again, shutting her eyes as she seemed to mentally berate herself for letting something so personal slip. Ben hated to admit that he wasn't surprised by the confession, having figured a while back that Cruella nor Maleficent nor Jafar nor the Evil Queen wouldn't be winning any Parent of the Year Awards.

"Evie?" he repeated even softer than the first time as his hands itched to reach out and comfort her, "Did any of your parents _hurt_ you?"

Because if they had then he was almost certain that he wouldn't stop until they were punished severely, the uncharacteristic burst of hot blinding fury not even surprising him as he found himself growing more and more attached to the four teens.

Evie just shrugged, slim shoulders slumping up and down before she admitted, eyes still focused on the ground, "I can't speak for the others, but _my_ mother never physically hurt me."

"There's more than one pain though," he finished and felt his stomach twist when she let out a watery laugh, like she was seconds away from crying, but when she rose her head her eyes were dry.

"I guess," she admitted, "I don't know. She would just get so _angry_ whenever I disappointed her. Ah man, if she saw me now then she'd-"

She blinked, stopping herself as she continued gazing at Ben like she wasn't sure how much she wanted to tell him. After all, they weren't friends. At least, not yet, and he made a mental note to get to know her as well as he does the other three.

"Evie-" but he never got to finish because the next moment the door opened and Mal walked in.

She took one glance at the two of them before a mischievous smirk crossed her pretty features as she asked, "What are you two talking about?"

Ben glanced at Evie, who now seemed back to normal as she returned to her homework and he shook his head as he replied, "Nothing."

* * *

The next time, she came to him.

It excited him as much as it surprised him, making him feel good as he realized that she trusted him enough to actually _come_ _to_ _him_. He had to suppress a grin, not wanting to offend her or give her the impression that he found humor in her problems because he didn't. He just wanted to understand.

"Listen, our talk the other day," she started but he interrupted with a shake of his head and his best reassuring grin.

"Don't worry about it," he promised, "my lips are sealed."

And then, to prove a point, he drew a line across his mouth before flicking his wrist, throwing away the invisible key. She blinked before giving him a smile that seemed a little more natural than before.

"I don't know what that means, but I appreciate it," she informed him with a dip of her head and he ignored the way that made his heart suddenly feel so heavy.

"No problem," he reassured, leaning against the lockers and asked, "So how are you liking it here? Find any fairest of them alls?"

She rolled her eyes as she nodded and admitted, "I like it here just fine, though I have to admit that it's still kind of odd that you have people come and make our beds for us, and I'm not the only one. Carlos once mentioned it, talking about how great it is that someone was picking up after him for a change. I mean, you should see this boy clean. He could put my housekeeping skills to shame, and my mother believed that a perfect maid equaled a perfect wife."

She'd been so caught up with her words that she must have forgot who she was talking to because she suddenly blinked, growing real quiet and he wondered how often they've teased each other over something like that. How it seemed so trivial with them because it had been all they knew, and they were still getting used to how different it was here.

Still not perfect but different.

"Wow princey, you've got this way of convincing people to open up to you," she joked and he felt relieved that she wasn't threatening his silence- at least now it seemed like she somewhat trusted him, "Now don't blow it and go around broadcasting all of this. What I tell you remains private."

"Of course," he nodded though he couldn't get the terrible thought her words created out from his head, "Were you kidding though? Did your parents really treat you like that?"

"Like what? Servants?" she asked him before shrugging and admitted, "Sure. Cruella more than any of them, but they all had their moments. They're villains, though, so what do you expect? I mean, you didn't lock them all on an island for _fun_."

"I know," he swallowed and wondered how he was going to get her to _understand_ what he wanted her to, "but no one thought they'd treat their kids with such callousness."

She shrugged again, looking thoughtful, but just said, "They're villains first. Not our parents."

"And you still want to go back? To the isle?" he demanded because he knew he couldn't trap them here, where it's safe, forever even if he wanted to. And he really, really did.

"Probably not for a while," she admitted and she seemed confused about what he was trying to get at, "but in time I think we will. It _is_ our home after all."

"I know that I just-"

"Can't fathom on why we'd willing go back to all of that," she concluded like she was finally getting it, coming to the conclusion by herself and Ben just nodded.

"Because it's our home, more so than all of this," she explained with a wave at the hall around them, "and they're our parents and we love them. Who knows, maybe in time they'll start to get it themselves."

Ben wanted to tell her that he doubted it, that if they couldn't even love their own children then there was no hope because each of their kids were so incredibly awesome and he was starting to grow dangerously attached to each of them.

He didn't say any of that, though, and the bell rang, signaling class was starting and he knew they ran out of time as he turned to hurry to his next class.

Evie stopped him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder as she said, "I was wrong about before. I think we could be great friends."

Then she took off down the hall, and he didn't think he stopped grinning for the rest of the day.


	4. Long Live Evil- 1

It was a particular sunny day when Doug bumped into the small white headed boy on his way to the bleachers, where the rest of the band was waiting for him. He remembers because, although the sun always shines in Auradon, some geeky part of him always expected it to become real gloomy the day their world ended.

"Oh. I'm sorry," he apologized as they both stumbled back, and he realized the boy was wearing a blue jersey with the number 101 printed on the fabric with carefully placed numbers.

"No, no," the boy- Carlos, he remembered- reassured as he bent over to pick up the book he had been reading before they collided, "It's my fault. I should watch more where I'm going."

Doug blinked and he was momentarily concerned how he wasn't worried the younger teen just pickpocketed him. He did, after all, grow up on the Isle of the Lost and was practically best friends with Jay, who Doug would've instantly demanded back whatever the thief undoubtedly just stole. Then he remembered it was _Carlos_ who never seemed maliciously out to hurt anyone before.

"Hey," Carlos said after a moment as he narrowed his gaze and asked, "Aren't you Evie's friend? Doug?"

"Oh. Uh… yeah," Doug nodded, and the boy's face brightened.

"I'm Carlos," he introduced though he didn't offer his hand as he added, "I don't think we ever formally introduced. Thanks, for helping her out."

"No problem," Doug replied as he realized that though they've met and he was introduced to them it never really extended beyond that, "Thanks for not really being evil."

"Yeah," Carlos agreed as he rubbed his neck awkwardly, not really shyly though Doug didn't really know what else it could've been, "I'm sure our parents are beyond angry back on that island. They're not exactly what you would call _understanding_."

Doug blinked because he knew Ben had grown more and more concerned about them the closer he got but he never expected anything beyond normal childhood fears of disappointing their parents, "Was it really that bad back on the isle?"

"I wouldn't call it _bad_ ," Carlos explained before he furrowed his brow and added, "It was just different. We weren't allowed to have friends, and it wasn't like we could turn to our parents for love. I mean, they're _evil_."

"Even to their own children?" Doug asked with a blink because he's spent his entire life doted on by his dad and six dwarves, he couldn't imagine parents _not_ loving their children.

"It's… _complicated_ ," Carlos concluded with a dip of his head before continuing, "There really wasn't any room for love of any kind on the isle. There wasn't room for anything other than learning how to be evil and malice and doing everything your mother tells you to."

"Cruella, right?" Doug asked and Carlos replied with the tiniest jerk of a nod and he prodded, "Is she as crazy as everyone says she is?"

Carlos blanched, his freckles standing out amongst his other features like flecks of dirt as he gasped, "Who says that?"

"Everyone," Doug repeated in a slow concerned voice as he realized the boy's reaction was one of fear and for some reason that concerned him.

"Listen, don't ever repeat that when she's around," Carlos informed as he tightened his grip around the book he had been holding, the tendons on his hands sticking out amongst white skin.

"Whoa. She's still on the isle. She won't overhear," Doug reassured quickly and he realized then why Ben was so intent on making them all feel at home, especially considering he knew eventually they'd all go back to the isle for a visit.

Carlos relaxed fractionally as he forced himself to breath and when he looked back up at the older boy Doug realized he was trying to force his calm as he swallowed, "I know, it's just, I keep feeling like I'm going to turn around, and she's going to be there screaming at me for betraying her."

"She won't hurt you," Doug tried for reassuring, wondering how Ben could handle this all the time.

"It's not me I'm worried about," Carlos informed as he shut his eyes to force himself to relax, it was then Doug realized what he was saying under his breath.

"Periodic table of elements," he said and Carlos blinked back up at him as he frowned in confusion, his brow furrowing slightly.

"What?" he asked and he sounded more confused than anything.

"Periodic table of elements," Doug elaborated as he gestured back towards the teen, "That's what you were whispering under your breath, right?"

"Oh. Uh… yeah," Carlos nodded as he explained, "It comforts me, when I repeat it to myself."

"Did you need a lot of comfort back on the island?" he asked careful to keep his distance because now he was almost certain they had been abused in some way and he was literally trying to force it out of him.

Evie was going to kill him.

That is, if Jay or Ben or Mal didn't get to him first.

Carlos just shrugged like the question was the most natural thing in the world as he explained, "My mother could get… loud whenever I did something she didn't like or if I cleaned her things too slowly. She'd go off on little tangents about how the dogs were going to get me while I slept because I was such a bad boy. I'd lay on my mattress for hours whispering the periodic table under my breath."

Doug swore, for a moment, his heart stopped and he forgot how to breathe.

Evie once asked how Snow White and the seven dwarves talked about her mother, more curious than anything else. Once he finished telling her he asked if she was really as bad as they made her out to be, knowing firsthand how elaborate his uncles could be. She had just grew real quiet as she told him that they were wise to lock her away.

At the time, he hadn't thought much of what she could mean.

"Are they all like that?" Doug pestered and he knew he was borderline annoying now but some part of him _had_ _to_ _know_ because, rather or not he admitted it, he was starting to grow attached to the odd group of friends.

Carlos grew quiet for a moment before shrugged and nodded, "Pretty much. What? Did you think that raising children would soften the hearts of some of the most feared villains of all time?"

Yes. That's exactly what Doug thought.

He never got a chance to voice that, though, as the next moment a long haired boy wearing a nearly identical jersey as Carlos jogged over to them. He was grinning but something in his eyes made Doug shuffle uncomfortably. It looked almost predatory, though Carlos seemed unconcerned as his older friend slung an arm over his thin shoulders.

That was another thing Doug noticed. Out of the four of them, Carlos and Jay were the ones who touched the most. It was almost like the older boy instinctively knew that his friend needed some sort of physical comfort because his mom never bothered offering any.

"Hey nerds," he greeted with a slight laugh like he thought it was funny as he gently punched Carlos in the side.

Carlos didn't protest.

He just blinked at his friend like he was trying to remember something important before he demanded, "Shouldn't you be with the rest of the team? You're, like, their most valuable player."

He was their most aggressive player, that was for certain. Doug didn't voice that out loud, though, because he liked his face the way it was.

"Come on," Jay protested as he ruffled the teen's hair, "I can't play without my little genius brain. Besides, those snobby rich kids can get _so_ _annoying_. No offense."

The last part was directed towards Doug, who waved it off with a nervous smile and Carlos shoved his friend away. In retaliation, Jay clung tighter and drew him closer to his chest like Doug always imagined a pair of brothers would.

He wondered if they even realized they acted like that.

"Come on Jay," the smaller boy wined as he tried breaking free now, "Let go. We're going to miss the game."

"I have to go," Doug finally gasped as he remembered he was supposed to be on the bleachers by now.

He hurried past them, not even bothering to look back to see if Jay had stopped and they were headed towards the rest of the team. He figured that they must have because they were on the field by the time the game started.

* * *

They won the game, naturally, and Evie gave them both tight hugs once they met up with the girls as soon as they could get away from the rest of the team.

They were kind enough, after Mal defeated her mother and they all proclaimed they weren't going to be whom their parents wanted them to, but Jay still felt a small spike of animosity towards them lingering from when they forced Carlos in the pool. He could still remember the panic he felt upon returning only to find Dude barking at the edge of the pool while everyone else stood around, gawking dumbly as one of Jay's only friends drowned.

Thankfully, Mal's perfect prince (Ben?) had jumped in to rescue him. Good because the second he realized what had been happening, Jay was seconds away from diving in himself. Then they'd both would've probably drowned.

He was also still bitter at Chad, not only for saying all those mean things about the girls at the crocket game, but for shoving Evie. She was a girl and he was supposed to be a gentleman and nothing else should matter because you shouldn't _shove_ _girls_ _around_ \- especially not girls whom Jay has grown quite fond of, almost like a sister.

So yeah, he was never fond of lingering to long in the locker room and Carlos must feel the same because he's as quick as Jay and they hurried to where the girls were waiting by one of the picnic tables, talking about something they learned in class, and although Mal wasn't as big a nerd as Carlos or Evie she could still put most of the prissy jerks at this school to shame.

Jay wondered how he became friends with them.

"Great game," Mal praised, punching Jay in the arm instead of hugging him and Jay grinned as he resisted the urge to rub his shoulder.

"It was nothing," Jay instantly replied with a smirk because _of_ _course_ they won; the team had him on it.

"I'm so sure," Mal agreed with that mischievous grin of hers, and he resisted the urge to laugh at her.

It was almost comical how everyone seemed (rightfully) afraid of them at first. Even Ben appeared cautious as he introduced himself the first time. It just went to show how different everything was here, never once was even Carlos- who was the smallest out of the four of them- scared of any of them. Cautious, for sure, and willing to obey Mal's every command because she had a reputation for being almost as crazy as her mother, but never really _frightened_.

Not like all the snobby rich kids here.

"Who else is hungry?" Evie asked, breaking Jay from his thoughts and he blinked as he realized he was.

The one thing he didn't miss about the isle was the food.

It was delicious and plentiful enough and you didn't have to steal any of it, though Jay would still swipe an apple or an orange just because he could. It also meant candy and chocolate and strawberries and he forgot how he ever got along without any of those things.

Just like he would wonder how he survived without any friends because Mal had been right. Being friends with the three of them made him _incredibly_ happy, happier than the thrill of swiping rich people's belongings could ever make him.

"I'm starving," Carlos agreed, grinning.

They went to the cafeteria, piling their trays with much more food than the rest of the kids around them and ate _all_ of it. Other people were staring, some saying snide remarks under their breaths, but Jay ignored them because he knew the isle was different and that most of the snobby jerks wouldn't even last a _day_ much less sixteen years.

It was also kind of funny when Carlos pointed out a spy camera above one of the tables, and it seemed like none of the other kids seemed to notice. Not that _he_ had noticed either but that was one of the reasons he kept Carlos around.

"Who do you think is watching them?" Mal asked with a grin as she sat down beside Evie, eyes shifting over to the table with the camera.

"Who knows? Who cares?" Jay brushed off, already starting on his meal with large hungry bites- Evie liked to say he ate like a bear, whatever that meant.

"Do you even think it's on?" Evie asked as she glanced at it with a seemingly bored expression.

Jay glanced at Carlos because, if any of them would be able to tell then it would be him, but he was shoving his face as badly as Jay was and soon they turned their attention away from the camera as Mal and Evie talked about something Jay really wasn't paying attention to.

He finished his tray first and went to swipe something from Evie's but she slapped his hand away, never faltering in her conversation with Mal. She didn't even _glance_ at him, and he knew he needed better friends to steal from.

He allowed his attention to wonder, seizing up some of the richer kids dumb enough to still be carrying with them _very_ valuable items. It was almost like they _wanted_ to get stolen from.

"Hey Jay?" Carlos asked suddenly and he drew his attention away from a particularly short girl with a gorgeous diamond necklace wrapped around her neck to his friend staring at him with an amused smirk, "Are you crushing on that girl or her necklace?"

Jay smirked as he rolled his eyes and replied, "What? No, I-"

He was interrupted when Ben approached their table and he felt something sour settle in his stomach when he realized the blond boy wasn't smiling. He was _always_ smiling when he approached them.

"Hey guys," he greeted, setting both his hands on Mal's shoulders as they settled their attention on him and something in his eyes set off an instinct buried inside of Jay, "My parents want to see you for a moment. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Alright," Mal agreed, going to rise when Ben gently guided her back down.

"Not you," he explained and there was a hint of concern in his voice as he glanced at the rest of them and clarified, "Just you three."

"What? Why?" Mal demanded and there was anger in her voice as she spun to glower at the prince.

"I don't know," Ben offered, "They just said that it was apparent that they talked to them and not you, _immediately_."

"Don't worry," Evie reassured as she rose to her feet and flashed the purple haired girl a quick reassuring grin, "I'm sure it's nothing."

Jay knew it wasn't but didn't dare voice that out loud. The last thing he wanted was for the prince and Mal to try and sneak in so they could overhear whatever Ben's parents had to say.

They left a still steaming Mal at the table with Ben, who would hopefully comfort her and calm her temper down some. She was getting better at holding it in but Jay knew that there were still slips.

It took a while before they finally found the large room Ben's parents were waiting for them in, Belle's face a mask of concern as she focused on them as they entered.

"I'm so glad you made it here safely," she said as her husband added, "I hope you didn't find any difficulty."

They shook their heads, still confused on why they'd been called. It wasn't the first time, but Mal had been with them then. Now there was no Mal so something was obviously wrong- he didn't need to see the look of concerned worry in Belle's eyes.

"Good," Beast nodded, _stalled_ , and the pit in Jay's stomach expanded as his shoulders tensed; whatever was happening wasn't good and it sent every instinct he owned on high alert.

"If I may ask," Evie spoke first as she caught on to what Beast had been doing, "is something wrong? Did we do something we weren't supposed to?"

No, because if they had then Mal would be with them and she wasn't. That's the one thing Jay couldn't figure out: why they left Mal out? It wasn't a secret that they did everything together.

"No, no," Belle quickly reassured and Jay didn't miss the way her hands seemed to shake as she held her husband a little tighter.

She was obviously strong but whatever she knew and they didn't had her shaken up. That did nothing to comfort Jay.

"Why isn't Mal here?" he demanded, unable to keep it in and Belle ducked her gaze while Beast was careful to keep a tight mask on.

"This doesn't involve her," he explained and Jay's literally never heard more wrong in a sentence before in his life.

"If it involves us then it involves her," Carlos protested, eyes narrowed furiously as he stood beside them as tall as he could.

"No- that's not what I meant," Beast floundered as he tried backtracking; it was Belle who interrupted him, voice steel as she gazed at each of them.

"This is about your parents," she informed and it was like all the air had been sucked from the room.

Carlos paled, Evie wavered but managed to stay upright, and Jay felt his stomach land somewhere in his shoes, which couldn't have been normal or healthy, but it made sense now why Mal had been uninvited. _Her_ mom had been defeated.

"What about our parents?" Carlos asked and though he was obviously trying to be brave he looked terrified.

Jay swallowed as he recalled his distraught friend as he cried ' _Her only true love is her furs_ ' and he felt sick all over again.

"They've escaped," Beast finally said, and Jay knew then what true terror felt like.

Before he might've talked about his father like he was a joke, but that had been before he completely disregarded everything he ever taught him. He had disobeyed him, _betrayed_ him, and those who did that to the mighty Jafar before had died.

"I thought they were trapped on the isle, inside the barrier," he protested as the thoughts swarming in his head now seemed wrong and dark and he was afraid not only for himself but for the others, for his friends and even slightly for the snobby jerks that were too rich to recognize a problem.

"They escaped," Belle informed them like they didn't already figure that one out, "we suspect the same way Maleficent had."

" _Jane_ ," Evie gasped beside him and he flashed back to when she grabbed the wand because she had wanted it to make her beautiful; she must have broken the barrier in her recklessness.

He swallowed, wondering how they were still remaining upright because their parents were going to find them and they were going to _kill_ them.

"Wait, why did you call us in here and not lock down the school?" he demanded suddenly, anger slipping in his voice at their carelessness.

"We're hoping you can tell us where your parents will be so we can deal with them without causing a school-wide panic," Beast explained and Jay could've cursed him.

"What makes you think that we would know?" Carlos demanded suddenly, still pale but holding it together better than most people would give him credit for, "It's not like we've talked with them recently."

"Wait," Jay interrupted as his friend's words gave him another thought, "You don't think we helped assist them, do you?"

The couple looked guilty though they were quick to protest and something angry curled inside of Jay's chest as he realized that that's exactly what they thought- brief as it may have been.

"Even after _everything_ and you still don't trust us?" he demanded, interrupting them midsentence and he resisted the urge to grab his friends and bolt.

Evie's expression darkened as Carlos swallowed though neither looked all that surprised, they must've come to the same conclusion as he had. They just hadn't voiced it out loud.

"Is that why this is so private?" Evie demanded and her shoulders were stiff as she glared at them, pretty features twisted in an angry expression, "So no one will know that you directed the blame at us even though we're innocent. We don't know where our parents would've escaped to."

Jay nodded, glimpsing Carlos start to do the same before he stopped and stiffened.

"That's not entirely true Evie," the younger boy protested as his eyes glistened with the slightest traces of fear, "We do know where they're at. Or, at least, where they're going to go."

"That's great," Beast praised though Jay's heart stopped once he realized his friend was right, "Where?"

"Here," Carlos swallowed meeting his gaze with a wide eyed one but that was about the only indication of him being as terrified as he undoubtedly was, "They're coming after us."


	5. Long Live Evil- 2

Mal was furious enough to hurt something but, unfortunately, Ben was the only thing within striking distance and she knew she could never hit him. Or she _could_ but would feel dreadful about it later.

"What's taking them so long?" she demanded, fingers tapping against the table impatiently and though she knew it hadn't been but a couple of minutes a feeling of unease was starting to settle in her stomach; they were her friends and she deserved to know what was being said to them.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Ben reassured her, hand firmly grasping her shoulder and she might've believed him if he didn't look as tense as she felt.

"If it was nothing, then why were we not allowed to go with them?" Mal challenged and her eyes were practically smoldering with anger as she considered every negative possibility of why the leaders wanted to talk with her friends.

"I don't know," Ben admitted and he turned to hold her hand as he gazed earnestly in her eyes, "but they're strong. It'll be fine."

He still swallowed, as if he was nervous, and his eyes shifted over to the door they had disappeared through. She followed his gaze, half-expecting for them to suddenly appear and everything be alright with the world again.

They didn't and her hands in her lap curled into fists.

She deserved to be with them. They were her friends, and they all came from the isle, and nothing she could think of made any sense on why they separated her from them. Except she had been and not even Ben was enough to appease the tiny voice in her head, screaming at her to find them because they were in trouble.

"There they are," Ben suddenly said as he tapped her arm excitedly and his eyes were sparkling in relief and if she had been in any other mood she would've smiled at the boy's adorable reactions.

She didn't, instead spun around to her feet and caught sight of her three friends come back into the cafeteria. It almost brought a bright smile to her face except for the fact that they were frowning now, clearly angry and something unease settled in her stomach.

Ben must have noticed it too because he took her hand and guided her over to intercept them as her mind swirled.

It wasn't odd for them to agitate easily- they still had a long way to go anger management wise- but they were all skilled at keeping it hidden behind false smiles and twinkling eyes. Like the rose hiding its thorns and it was something they all took careful pride in.

They weren't even bothering to hide it now.

"What happened?" Ben asked as gently as he could, a hint of concern coloring his voice and Mal remembered why she had grown so close to him.

"Why don't you ask your parents?" Jay demanded, crossing his arms over his broad chest as he tried to make himself seem more intimidating.

It wasn't out of aggression, Mal realized with a shock, as much as defense. Something _very_ bad happened and she has every intention on finding out what.

"Jay?" she asked, speaking to him directly, and their eyes met.

His still seemed furious though there was a hint of something else she wasn't accustomed to in any of her friends- _fear_. He was scared, _terrified_ even and something hot and protective threatened to spill out from her now.

"What happened?" she demanded, anger giving her voice a hard edge as she looked in the other two's eyes and realized they were feeling the same as Jay.

They were all scared.

She was going to _kill_ Ben's parents.

Jay sighed, shoulders slumping and when he spoke he was no longer angry or scared or anything, "We shouldn't talk about it here."

"Why not?" Ben demanded and his fingers curled painfully in Mal's shoulders.

"Ow," she protested, spinning to swat him away only to freeze when she realized the prince wasn't even _trying_ to conceal his anger as he narrowed his gaze on her friends.

She opened her mouth to protest, to defend her friends, but shut it when she realized Ben wasn't really angry at _them_. He was angry at his parents and had an impressive temper of his own, when it came to the four of them.

"It's not safe," Evie explained, voice shaking slightly and her eyes looked a million miles away as she added softly, "it might cause a panic."

"What did they say to you?" Mal demanded because she suddenly _really_ wanted to know, had to know so she could share whatever her friends were experiencing; it wasn't normal for her to be left out from the loop, and that _frustrated_ her.

"Mal, seriously, not here," Jay told her firmly and she met his gaze to realize that he _meant_ it, which somehow seemed worst.

"Alright then, let's go back to our room," she decided already turning to lead the way and wasn't surprised when they followed.

The entire walk there her mind came trying to piece together what could've happened to make her friends so silent and the bitter mood she knew they were feeling must have been contagious because she was starting to feel it too. Not even the way the other kids scrambled to avoid them made her feel better.

By the time they reached her room, the anticipation was killing her and she slammed the door behind her. Beside her stood Ben while her three friends just stood in the middle of the room like they afraid of getting comfortable.

"Alright," Ben said first as Mal tried to wrap her brain around the idea of her friends being afraid of making themselves at home, especially in her room where they were always welcomed, "What did my parents say to you?"

"Our parents are free," Jay explained smoothly though Mal noticed the slightest quiver in his hands as he added, "We think they escaped the same way Maleficent had."

Mal forgot how to breathe, remembering the sadness she felt when her mother turned on her. When her mother _attacked_ her and her friends. It was something she was grateful the others never had to experience.

"That's impossible, though," Ben protested immediately and his voice was hard in disbelief, "They shouldn't be able to get past the barrier much less off the island."

"Well they did," Jay snapped, glaring at him before turning back to Mal and added, "and they're not going to take our betrayal lightly."

Of course they wouldn't. They're villains after all, some of the worst, and not even the slightest bit of love of their children was going to slow them on their vengeance.

"Do they know where they are?" Mal asked because if they did then problem solved, they wouldn't have to worry about their parents or their anger and it was still too soon after each of their decisions to choose good.

Carlos's words at the time echoed in her head, reminding her that this was much more serious than when her mom appeared because now there were _three_ of them.

"No," Evie replied simply as she shrugged elegantly- like the princess Mal knew she is even without her prince, "They thought we might have some idea since we were their children."

"Wait," Mal interrupted with a shake of her head before she asked, eyes burning now, "they didn't blame this on you, did they?"

Her friends silence was all she needed to know.

She spun on her heel, moving towards the door in angry strides and it was Ben who reached out to stop her. She fought briefly, but stopped when he made no move to let go. If anything, he just clung on a little tighter.

"I'll go speak with them," Ben offered once Mal had calmed some as he turned back to the others, "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"We think that our parents are going to come here," Carlos added and a cold chill crept down Mal's spine as she realized what they're parents would do if they caught them, none of it was pleasant.

"I understand," Ben reassured with a firm nod as he glanced quickly around the room at each of them before reassured, "we'll find them and put them back where they belong. They won't hurt you."

Then he was gone, the door closing behind him and Mal took another look back around at her friends. They didn't look angry anymore, just incredibly tired and she swallowed. For the first time since the four of them really connected, she had no idea what to say or do to them.

* * *

Ben returned after Jay and Carlos left to go back to their room and Mal had never been so thankful to see him in her life. Evie was sitting silently on her bed, flipping through one of her textbooks though Mal suspects she wasn't reading any of the words.

Mal felt so useless it frustrated her. She _ached_ to help her friends though wasn't sure how. It was true she defeated her mom, but that seemed different. At the time her mother had still believed she was on her side and hadn't actively attacked her until it was clear that she wasn't.

The other villains undoubtedly knew of their children's betrayal by now.

"Hey," Ben greeted, brow furrowed in that adorable way of his whenever he was concerned about her or her friends, "How is it?"

"Jay and Carlos went back to their room," Mal explained stepping back to let the prince in, "Evie claims she's doing homework."

"It would benefit you to start yours too," Evie said without looking up, "Escaped parents or no, we still have class in the morning."

Mal shrugged, more of a do-it-at-the-last-second kind of girl as she turned back to Ben. He was frowning though no longer looked as angry as he had been when he left, which was fortunate because Mal has no idea how to deal with _angry_ Ben.

"I talked to my parents and they ensure you and the other's safety," Ben offered, looking at Evie on the bed with a sincere expression, "Your parents won't be able to harm you. Not after everything you've done for us."

The words drew no comfort to Mal because she knew her friends weren't really worried for themselves. Their parents weren't going to _kill_ them, just punish them.

"And what about everybody else?" Evie asked still not looking up from the textbook, "Our parents are going to destroy this school trying to get to us."

"They'll be safe too," Ben replied, swallowing as if the idea had just now come to him; these people really were too soft. They had no idea what a villain was capable of.

Mal realized _she_ had no idea what they were truly capable of, once off the island.

"Forgive me if I don't believe you," Evie responded snapping the textbook closed and setting it aside, "but my mother is viscous and has no regard for human life. I know Jafar and Cruella are the same and empty promises will accomplish nothing."

"E," Mal gasped because she's never heard her friend use that tone of voice before and Evie just sighed, her shoulders relaxing as she leaned back against the headboard.

"I'm sorry," Evie apologized, "but you know I'm right Mal. They won't be able to protect us or themselves or anyone. They're trying too hard to convince themselves that our parents haven't really escaped and that everything is okay."

"You're right," Ben agreed, surprising Mal because he seemed so tired all of a sudden, "but I promise that _I'll_ protect you four."

Evie glanced at him, dark eyes swirling with thought, before she nodded and returned to her textbook. Mal glanced at Ben a little frightened about the way his eyes now seemed to burn with a protective conviction she was unfamiliar with.

She always knew Ben cared, but his sudden proclamation sent chills down her spine.

"Perhaps you should go," she finally suggested, walking him to the door and opening it for him, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," he agreed, a fire still burning somewhere in his eyes as he looked at her and nodded, "See you tomorrow."

* * *

The room was silent, the only sound being the _tap_ - _tap_ - _tap_ of Carlos's fingers on the keyboard of the laptop Jay stole when they first arrived and has yet to return it. It wasn't like any of the snobby rich kids _missed_ it; they probably didn't even notice it missing.

Jay glanced over at his friend, sitting on his bed still dressed in the clothes from earlier. Beside him lay Dude, who was watching him from across the room and it was almost wrong how silent and very still his younger friend had gone.

He knows the news about his mother had shocked him- it shocked all of them- but he also knew that they never had that healthy of a relationship before. His mother had made it clear that she never cared for him as anything but a servant and now that he gone against her there was no telling what would happen.

Something in his stomach soured at the thought, the urge to reach out and protect the smaller boy almost overwhelming. It wasn't the first time he felt this way, but this time was different. He knew he wanted to protect him from an actual threat, not just a group of idiot boys with a poor sense of humor.

"What're you looking at?" he finally asked, breaking the silence and drawing him out from his thoughts as he moved across the room to sit beside his friend.

"I'm looking up our parents," Carlos explained, "to try and get an understanding on what we're up against."

"We _know_ what we're up against," Jay reminded as he propped himself up on his arm so he could stretch out on the bed.

"On the isle, perhaps," Carlos agreed, "but out here our parents are no longer powerless. You _father_ had quite a set of magical skill before they locked him away."

"Whoa. Really?" Jay asked because he knew a lot of things about his dad but that wasn't one of them; he sat up straighter, trying to lean over his friend's shoulder.

There wasn't really any need.

Carlos moved the laptop so he could see, a picture of Jafar stood out amongst all the words and Jay was stunned to see him dressed in royal robes. Beside the picture he read his father had been consultant before he betrayed the family and tried taking over himself.

" _Killer_ ," he breathed in shock and Carlos just sighed.

"And that's not all," his friend continued clicking on a tab so that Jafar turned in the Evil Queen as he explained, "She also had some magic in her prime though most of it was potions she had to create. She even once turned into an old lady to poison Snow White."

"Wait, as in, transform?" Jay asked as the steadily increasing sense of dread almost seemed too much to bare, "She can turn into anyone she pleases, and we won't be able to recognize her."

"Uh huh," Carlos agreed, voice tight as he moved the laptop back so it was directly in front of him though he didn't type anything.

"Oh boy," Jay whistled because it seemed like their situation was spiraling from bad to worst with every passing second.

Once the villains arrived, he knew there would be no stopping them.


	6. Long Live Evil- 3

Going to class after being told her mother had escaped and could be anywhere just seemed cruel to Evie the next morning, and she _knows_ cruel, having to grow up on the Isle of the Lost for sixteen years.

Her mind had been so preoccupied with new thoughts of her mother, she hadn't even realized the teacher was calling on her until Doug nudged the side of her leg worriedly. She blinked, snapping out from her thoughts, as she glanced at her friend then to the still frowning teacher.

"Am I boring you?" he asked and she knows he's still cautious of her because of the magic mirror incident.

She swallowed, shaking her head, as she admitted, "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Oh really?" he questioned and she told herself it was just thoughts of her mother that it sounded like a challenge as he crossed both arms over his chest and inquired, "Care to share with the rest of the class?"

"No," she replied because she knew she couldn't, they would all panic and the school would probably crumble without any of their parents actually doing anything.

"Then I'd advise you to keep your mind on Chemistry," he informed her simply and she nodded, ducking her expression behind her hair; beside her, Doug shifted worriedly.

"You alright?" he whispered and she glanced at him, thinking briefly on how he would react.

He would probably panic at first, not skilled in keeping all his reactions together. Then he'd try to help her and the others, being almost as bad as Ben in that regard; she swallowed as she silently vowed to not worry him over this just yet.

She would protect him, for as long as she could, which was why she nodded a little too hurriedly as she reassured, "I'm fine. I didn't get much sleep last night."

Technically true.

She'd been plagued by thoughts of her mother and Jafar and Cruella and how they were going to ruin everything. It's all they've been talking about since before any of them were born, and they had the element of surprise. Everyone else thought they were still back on the island.

"Oh. Okay," Doug blinked like he was trying to find the words to help make her feel better as he leaned forward and asked softly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," she denied with another shake of her head as she gave him the slightest smile, "I'll be fine."

She could only hope that that wouldn't turn out to be a lie though she suspected that it wouldn't. After all, their parents probably had no intention of hurting any of them. That didn't mean their fate wouldn't be as bad as the others, though, and she knew she didn't want anything happening to the others almost as much as not wanting to get caught by their parents.

"Okay," Doug nodded again, slowly his eyes never leaving her's as he added, "If you ever need to talk to someone, though, I'm here."

"Absolutely," she agreed with a quick flash of a smile before returning her attention to the teacher's lecture though her mind keep slipping to her mom.

She felt immense relief when the bell finally rang, signaling the end of class and she was one of the first ones out the door. She knew she probably freaked Doug even more out with her quick exit, knowing she normally waited for him so they could leave together.

Now the only thing on her mind was finding one of her friends because they knew, they understood and she spotted Carlos sitting underneath the shade of one of the many trees on the campus. He had a pair of black headphones on, tapping on the computer in his lap. He hadn't even noticed her approach until she was right on top of him.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile as he moved one side of the headphones to the side so he could hear her.

She matched his smile as she sat beside him, leaning over his shoulder as she asked, "What're you doing?"

"Research," he explained moving the screen so she could see, "on our parents and we might be in even more trouble than we originally thought. Your mother and Jafar both have some control over magic. Jafar might even have as much as Maleficent had."

"What?" Evie demanded as pricks of ice settled in her stomach as she read the words on the screen, "Does Jay know?"

"I showed him last night," Carlos admitted with a nod as he moved the laptop back so it sat directly in front of him as he typed some more, "He acted surprised, like his dad never told him about it."

Evie was suddenly relieved that Mal had already defeated her mother, knowing they would be doomed if they had to go up against her and Jafar at once. She also knew that if their parents weren't found soon then they are still doomed.

"What I can't understand, though," Carlos continued eyes focused on the screen, "is why they've waited so long to attack. They should know they'll lose their surprise if they wait to long."

And, as if to answer him, there was loud screaming and both Carlos and Evie leapt to their feet as a girl Evie hasn't seen before ran up to them. She was pale and her eyes were wide in fear as they locked onto them and hurried over.

"You have to help," she panted and Evie knew she was close to losing it as she reached out to help steady the girl's shoulders, causing the girl to jerk away as she screeched, "No! Not me! Chad. You have to help Chad."

She made some sort of vague gesture towards the direction she just came from, and Evie shared a look with Carlos before they both took off in the direction she had pointed. Not before she told the girl to go find more help, preferably a teacher, as she followed her much quicker friend.

They came to a stop when they found Chad, lying unconscious in the grass. Evie felt her heart quickened as Carlos beat her to him, sliding to a stop beside the prince. His clothes were scorched slightly, like they had been fried, and the ends of his hair was singed.

"Is he alright?" she demanded finally reaching both of them, staring as Carlos checked his vitals with a worried expression.

"He's still alive," he sighed after a slight pause, the relief evident in his voice as he moved so he could get a better look.

Chad looked like he had when Evie sprayed him with her sleeping gas only this time seemed worst because she didn't know what had happened to him. There wasn't even anything around, the school several yards behind them being the closest thing in their vicinity.

"Do you think he was attacked?" she asked, kneeling down beside Carlos so she could help assist with helping the still unconscious prince.

"No," Carlos responded with a shake of his head as he glanced around, "It looks like he was electrocuted."

"By what, though?" Evie demanded because she had came to the same conclusion but couldn't figure out how he could've been shocked, "Do you think the girl did it?"

Carlos didn't reply.

He just picked up a rock from the grass, throwing it in front of them. Evie watched it, jumping when it suddenly bumped into an invisible force. There was a crackling sound as the rock turned black before collapsing back in the grass.

"A barrier," she gasped, matching wide eyes with Carlos before they heard shouting behind them and both turned to see the girl running alongside the tourney coach.

"What happened here?" he demanded as Carlos and Evie scrambled to their feet so he could take their spots.

He reached out, lifting Chad's head only for it to loll limply on his neck. Evie swallowed as the girl whimpered, hands balled up into fists over her mouth. She was seconds away from losing it, Evie realized.

"What happened?" the coach repeated as he gently set Chad's head back on the grass, looking expectantly at her and Carlos.

"We were just walking," the girl on the coach's other side explained as teary eyes locked onto Chad's limp figure, "He was a little ahead of me and the next thing I know he's falling several feet away."

"There's a barrier," Carlos filled in gesturing towards the direction he had thrown the rock, "it must have shocked him when he tried to pass it."

"Who would put a barrier up, though?" the girl demanded, eyes wide at the thought and Evie was reminded why they _haven't_ told anyone else about their parents.

She shared a look with Carlos and the coach shook his head as he interrupted whatever they would've said, "We can ponder this later. Right now, he needs serious medical attention."

As if on cue, the school nurse came into view as another kid followed. They paled upon seeing them and Evie swallowed again, her shoulder brushing against Carlos's tense ones. She glanced back at him, realizing he was thinking along the same lines as her.

Their parents had created the barrier, trapping everyone in the school.

"What happened?" the new student demanded as the nurse crouched beside the coach as he directed furious eyes at her and Carlos and practically snarled, "What did you freaks do?"

"They didn't do anything," the girl protested as she stepped up to their defense, "I found them after it happened," she turned back to the adults as she practically sobbed, "Is he going to be alright?"

"He's alive," the nurse reassured as she and the coach lifted Chad up, "Someone needs to go find Fairy Godmother."

"I'll do it," the boy who had come with the nurse offered, giving Evie and Carlos one more poisonous look before taking off.

"The rest of you three follow us," the nurse commanded and she locked eyes with the two of them as she added, "We'll need to talk to you. _All_ of you."

* * *

Mal was talking with Ben when Jay waltzed over, wearing a smile that only seemed half fake. She relaxed some, Jay looking a lot better than he had yesterday after being told the news concerning their parents. Ben must have agreed with her because his grin brightened upon seeing him.

"You look chipper," Mal noted as he sat across from them.

He just smirked at her in that obnoxious way of his as he held up money between his two fingers. Ben paled slightly as Mal's smirk turned more mischievous.

"Robbing people blind now?" she teased and Jay's grin broadened as he lowered his hand.

"Of course not," he reassured dark eyes moving from her to Ben as he explained, "Lonnie showed me a magic trick and I bet I could do it better than her. As it turns out, I'm awesome at it. It's not my fault the poor suckers betted against me."

"Magic trick?" Ben asked when Mal opened her mouth to reply, "As in slight of hand?"

Jay shrugged as he bent over to snatch the price's untouched apple as he said, "Sure. If that's what you want to call it."

Ben's frown seemed to lesson as he realized that the boy hadn't stolen the money and Mal hid her smirk behind her bottle of juice. It was sweet, like most of the things at Auradon, and it so different from the isle that she often found herself waiting for it to all change and she'll wake back up on the isle with its rotten apples and terrible coffee.

"I want to see," Mal finally said, setting her bottle down on the table and looking up at her friend expectantly.

"Alright," Jay agreed with a nod as he pulled out his room key, closing his other fist around it except when he opened his hands they were both empty.

"Impressive," Ben praised with a smile and nod.

"Oh, you have no idea," Jay nodded as he reached over to grab Ben's hand, flipping it over so the palm was facing upwards; he pulled the key out from Ben's sleeve.

Mal clapped as Ben checked inside his sleeve like he expected to find abundant amounts of spare keys. Jay just bowed, eyes twinkling as he settled back across from them biting back into Ben's stolen apple.

Ben straightened back up, eyes focused on Jay as he asked, "How did you do that?"

"Why would I tell you?" Jay questioned with a smirk, "It'll ruin the trick."

"Yeah Ben," Mal agreed turning to other boy and focused hard green eyes at him as she grinned and added, "and you wouldn't want to do that."

"Alright," Ben sighed as he looked between the both of them, "I can tell when I'm being ganged up on."

"Who's ganging up on you?" Mal teased as she lightly punched his shoulder, feeling truly happy and content since finding out the other villains have escaped; it was never meant to last.

"Ben," Audrey suddenly exclaimed as she rushed over to their table, eyes wide in panic as she stopped beside the prince and gasped, "You need to come to the infirmary immediately."

"Why? What happened?" Ben asked, already climbing to his feet, Mal and Jay following as they waited for her answer; something sour had settled in Mal's stomach when she realized she hasn't talked to either Evie or Carlos all day and the thought of something happening to either of them was enough to make her physically ill.

Audrey glanced at Mal and Jay unsurely before focusing back on Ben, tugging at his sleeve as she explained, "It's Chad. They said he'd somehow been electrocuted. He's unconscious right now but they sent me to fetch you."

Ben paled at her words, needing no more incentive to follow her. Mal and Jay shared a look before rushing after them.

Mal knew that whatever had happened had to be the work of the escaped villains, which meant Chad's current injuries was an extension of their fault. She just hadn't expected that when they finally turned the corner to the infirmary Carlos and Evil were sitting in the chairs outside of the door.

Her stomach dropped as she felt Jay tense beside her, quickening her step to her friends. They glanced up when they finally noticed they were no longer alone, rising to their feet at their approach. Audrey ignored them, urging Ben to follow without sharing any of the words with the teens.

"What happened?" Jay demanded first as the door to the infirmary clicked closed, leaving them alone in the hall.

"Chad had been electrocuted by a barrier surrounding the school," Carlos explained and his voice was even despite the fact that his skin was still very pale.

"Barrier?" Mal asked, blinking in surprise, "There's a barrier now?"

"Our parents must have set one up," Evie added and it probably wasn't the first time her and Carlos talked about it, "They're trapping everyone inside so they can extract their revenge."

Which meant that there was no escape.

Mal's heart sank a little further in her chest at the thought. If their parents had set up the barrier then they were caging everyone in one place, making it easier to punish them. It also made it harder to stop them, innocent lives now at risk.

The infirmary door opened and all four of their attention turned to Fairy Godmother, who didn't look like her usually perky self. That didn't stop her from forcing a smile upon seeing them and Mal appreciated the effort.

"How is he?" Evie asked, stepping forward worriedly as her eyes stared helplessly in her face for any sign of good news.

"He'll be fine with time," Fairy Godmother explained with a relieved sort of expression, "He was lucky to not have been alone. Otherwise it would've been much worse."

They nodded and she focused on Evie and Carlos as she asked, "May I speak with both of you alone?"

"We already told the others what happened," Carlos protested, looking suddenly frightened- like they were going to blame all of this on him.

"I know," Fairy Godmother sighed and nodded, looking ancient all of a sudden as she explained, "I just want to get both of your stories from you. I have a feeling there's something you're not telling everyone else."

They all shared a look before they both nodded and Mal watched two of her friends walk away, a icy pit where her stomach once was. Then she was alone with Jay, who was practically vibrating with his unease.

"They trapped us," Jay hissed at her, meeting her gaze with a frustrated one of his own, "They set up the barrier to trap us."

Mal nodded, having come to the same conclusion herself as she turned to stare back in the direction her two friends and Fairy Godmother had disappeared. Jay followed her gaze and they just stood there in silence until Evie and Carlos returned.

"Where's Fairy Godmother?" Jay asked once they were back with them as he tried craning his neck to see behind them.

"She has to go contact Beast and Belle," Evie explained, "to discuss what's going on."

"Did you tell them about your parents?" Mal questioned as she gazed in her friend's anxious features.

Evie nodded before she said, "I just keep thinking about what would happen if it hadn't been Chad or if he hadn't had someone with him and how it could've all been avoided in the first place if everyone knew. Now we're all in danger."

"I know," Mal agreed softly, bowing her head slightly as she reassured, "but they know now and your parents trapped themselves in here with us."

It was meant to be comforting but it left a sour taste in Mal's mouth. Soon the whole school will know and then will come the panic, making it almost too easy to destroy all of them. Especially if the villains had somehow accumulated enough magic to imprison the whole school.

* * *

Carlos woke in the middle of the night, throat dry as he sat up blinking. He glanced around his room, Jay slumbering in the opposite bed several feet away. Beside him, Dude was still sleeping, drawing a smile from Carlos as he stroked the dog's soft fur.

It was comforting, knowing that Dude was next to him, because if his mother ever got her hands on him then…

He closed his eyes, pushing the thought away instantly as he silently climbed from bed without disturbing either occupant in the room. He's had years of practice, after all, moving around without being seen or heard. It was how he managed to sneak out as much as he had.

Grabbing his jacket he had been wearing earlier, he wrapped it around his slim figure as he crept out from the room. Behind him, the door clicked softly and he briefly remembered Fairy Godmother telling them about her thing with curfews before he tiptoed down the halls to the kitchen.

It wasn't a long walk and it reminded him of when they made the love potion cookies for Ben. It was also how he managed to find it so quickly, slipping inside unseen.

The glasses took longer to find as he opened every drawer until he finally managed to find some, taking one out and going over to the sink to fill it with water. He gulped it down greedily before refilling the cup and repeating the motion.

The door creaked and he froze, ducking behind the sink as it slowly opened. He could see the rectangle of light illuminating the wall across from him, and he felt his heart freeze when he made out the familiar shadows of his mother and Jafar.

"I don't understand why we're checking the kitchen," Cruella's loud gaudy voice complained as the clatter of pots echoed in the room; Carlos pressed his back tighter against his hiding place, clutching the glass with white knuckles, "All the kiddies are in their beds sleeping."

"We won't be able to get all of them," Jafar explained in a way that made it seem obvious as he opened a cabinet before slamming it closed, repeating the gesture several times.

Carlos shifted, careful to remain silent as he moved to peek around the counter. Cruella looked bored, like always, while Jafar was checking the cabinets for something. It was all wrong, they weren't supposed to be inside the school. Fairy Godmother locked it down once she had become aware of the situation.

 _She'd been informed too late_ , Carlos realized as he hunched back in his hiding place, focused on keeping his heart steady.

"Well why are we in here?" Cruella demanded instead squeaking the stuffed dog on her shoulder as she added with a deranged laugh, "Baby doesn't like it in here."

Panic threatened to swallow Carlos whole at the sound as he leaned his head back against the cabinet he was still hiding behind. He remembered everything he read on the two villains and realized that if he managed to get caught now then he was doomed.

"We're looking for something for Evil Queen," Jafar explained, sounding exasperated- which Carlos could understand because his mother was exhausting- before he made a happy noise and exclaimed triumphantly, "Here it is!"

"Good. Let's go now darling," Cruella commanded already exiting the room in a way Carlos imagined as dramatic, the door slamming closed behind them.

He didn't move, muttering under his breath as he willed his whole body to relax. He felt weak as the adrenaline started to wear off and he quickly washed the cup, placing it back where he found it before sneaking out in the hall.

He just managed to close the kitchen door when a hand grabbed his mouth and he was jerked backwards.


	7. Long Live Evil- 4

Carlos felt panic first as he was jerked backwards, hands scrambling at the person holding him. They hissed softly in his ear, releasing him and he spun to stare wide eyed at Jay.

"You scared the _crap_ out of me," he hissed, hand settling over his chest as he tried to force it to calm down.

" _I_ scared _you_?" Jay whisper-growled back and his dark eyes were burning as he continued to match his glare, "What about me? Do you have any idea what it was like to wake up and find your bed suddenly empty?"

Carlos ducked his expression because he knew his friend was right. After everything that's happened in the past two days they were all on high alert and suddenly waking up to find one of them missing was probably terrifying.

"I'm sorry," he apologized meeting his friend's gaze, "You weren't supposed to wake up until I got back."

"Well… I did," Jay muttered as he straightened to his full height before slouching his shoulders and grumbled, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have grabbed you like that."

Carlos nodded, smiling slightly when something shuffled down the hall and Jay was shoving him back inside the kitchen. They just managed to duck behind one of the counters when the door opened and their parents walked back in.

Something in his chest constricted tightly, Jay's hand suddenly clamping over his mouth as he placed a finger against his own in the universal signal for silence. Carlos nodded in understanding, Jay's hand falling away as their parents clanged some more in the kitchen.

"I can't believe you left it," Cruella complained, voice shrill though Carlos suspected she wasn't helping much.

"I didn't leave it," Jafar growled back in annoyance and Jay's eyes hardened from across of him, hands curled in tight fists as he kept his gaze focused solely on Carlos, "We grabbed the wrong size, though I don't know how much potion she's planning on making. How much does it take to awaken one person?"

One person?

Carlos met Jay's confused stare with one of his own as he tilted his head, white hair brushing against the metal counter as he urged himself to calm down, to not shuffle in his unease. It was harder than it should've been, all things considered.

"Found it!" Jafar announced suddenly, causing Carlos's heart to leap in his chest slightly as Jay's hand ended up back over his mouth.

"Are you sure this time?" Cruella demanded as their footsteps echoed towards the door.

Jay stiffened, hand clutching his mouth almost painfully tight. His eyes were hard and focused as the door slammed closed behind their parents. Carlos managed to count to seven before Jay jerked him upright and ushered him out the door and back towards their room.

Neither one of them seemed to breathe until it locked closed behind Jay, the older boy leaning against it for physical support. Even then there was a long tense silence as Carlos strolled over to his bed and Dude, seeking comfort from the dog.

Jay moved first, straightened back up as he ran shaking hands through his rats nest for hair. It was also the first time Carlos noticed his friend was shaking.

"Are you alright?" he asked, running his hands through the dog's fur almost subconsciously as he continued to gaze up at his friend.

"I'm great," Jay replied sarcastically as he went over to where Carlos was still sitting, "What about you? You okay?"

Carlos nodded, ducking his expression as he asked after only a slight pause, "What do you think they're trying to do?"

"They said they needed the potion for only one person, right?" Jay inquired as he sat down beside his friend, close enough so only their shoulders were touching, "Who's the one person they would need a potion for?"

Carlos froze as it suddenly became clear, Jay turning a concerned look at him. So he hadn't gotten there yet himself then.

"Maleficent," Carlos whispered before jumping to his feet and heading towards the door.

"Whoa. Where do you think you're going?" Jay demanded, trailing after him so he could catch his shoulders and stop him.

"To go tell the others," Carlos explained, "They deserve to know."

"Not right now," Jay hissed as he glanced nervously at the door before back to his friend and added, "Our parents are roaming free in the halls."

"And they're trying to revive Maleficent," Carlos reminded, raising his voice slightly with the panic the words caused.

Maleficent had been frightening enough by herself, if all four of their parents teamed up then the school would probably be doomed.

"I know," Jay agreed softly as he reached up to run a hand through his long hair, "It's just… we can't go rushing out in the halls while everyone else is asleep. That's the whole reason our parents are currently active."

Carlos allowed his shoulders deflate because, logically, that made sense. He also knew that they might not have till morning, and watched as Jay's face seemed to crumple when he told him as much.

"I know," Jay nodded and he looked conflicted, "but if they do manage to revive Maleficent tonight then us telling the others won't do much. We can't stop them."

"Jay, we have to," Carlos reminded earnestly and Jay's gaze seemed to sharpen to almost defensive.

"I know that," he snapped and he was glaring but Carlos didn't allow that to force him to back down, "and if you're going to insist that we find the girls and probably sneak back out the second I go back to sleep than fine. Let's go."

Carlos brightened, whistling for Dude to follow as they crept out of the room and into the dark halls that suddenly seemed so much more daunting. Jay lead, accustomed to running on silent feet from years of robbing people blind. Carlos followed, clutching Dude to his chest as his heart hammered for an escape.

Somehow they managed to make it to the girls' room without getting caught or even seeing one of their villain parents. That didn't bring him any comfort, knowing that meant their parents were together and working on a way to rescue Maleficent.

Carlos figured Jay must feel his panic because he practically hammered the door down when he knocked, and he didn't stop until Mal opened it, a peeved expression in her green eyes.

"What are you two doing up?" she demanded and over her shoulder Carlos could see Evie sitting up in bed, long blue hair drawn up in a messy bun as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

"It's like three in the morning," she complained from inside the room once she realized who had woken them.

"We saw our parents," Jay hissed before Carlos got a chance to start rambling an explanation as he wormed himself inside, "They're going to try to revive Maleficent."

Mal tensed as Carlos passed, shoulders rigid as she demanded in a voice cold enough to burn, "Are you certain?"

Jay nodded, swallowed and continued as he glanced between the two of his female friends, "The Evil Queen is making a potion or something."

"Wait, where did you see your parents?" Evie asked suddenly, now standing beside her bed.

"Kitchen," Carlos informed before glancing at the mirror clutched in her hand and asked, "Can you find your mother with that?"

Evie blinked like the idea just struck her before she bent over and whispered, "Magic Mirror, where's my mother?"

She pulled away, Carlos making his way over so he could peer over her shoulder. It didn't seem to work, though, as Evie grunted and dropped the thing on her bed.

"They must've put up a magical block so we couldn't find them," Evie muttered in despair, "What are we going to do now?"

"Where are they keeping Maleficent?" Jay spoke up after a long pause, eyes twinkling in thought as he seemed to mentally calculate everything.

"One of the rooms in the school," Mal muttered and Carlos didn't bother to question how his friend knew that, "They were waiting until they could set up a prison equivalent to the isle but just for her."

"So we need to find the room and guard it from our parents," Jay concluded and Carlos was so glad Evie seemed to blanch at the idea, knowing he wasn't the only one who thought that plan was insane in so many different ways.

"We need to inform Fairy Godmother and the teachers so they can stop our parents," Evie protested and it sounded logical to Carlos at least, his grip tightening slightly on Dude still clutched in his arms.

Apparently, their other two friends disagreed.

"No time," Jay protested already shaking his head and Carlos swallowed because some part of his brain knew he was right; it's felt like hours since they last saw their parents rummaging in the kitchen.

"Evie, he's right," Carlos concluded when he saw the girl was about to start arguing again, "Our parents could have already found Maleficent and start working on a way to free her."

Evie still seemed reluctant but a quick glance around the room revealed that she was outnumbered and she swallowed as she nodded, "Okay. So what's the plan now? How do we find Maleficent before our parents?"

All eyes turned to Mal, who blinked in surprise at suddenly being signaled out.

"Why me?" she asked but Carlos suspected she already knew the answer.

"She's _your_ mother," Jay explained, "You'll be the most likely to know where they put her."

"No," she denied with a shake of her head, "They never told me. I think they were afraid one of us might try and do something if we ended up in the same room."

"So we're back with nothing," Jay growled and it was clear the agitation was getting to him as he threw his hands in the air and exclaimed, "We're wasting time standing around and arguing."

"The west wing," Evie muttered suddenly elaborating when all eyes turned to her like she was crazy, "Doug once told me they keep magical items in the west wing for safe keeping. Usually artifacts they dig up around here to place in the museum."

"Good as place to start as any," Mal decided already hurrying out the door; the rest of them followed.

The west wing was on the other side of the school, a ten minute sprint that seemed to stretch on forever. By the time they finally did make it, Carlos was certain his arms were going to fall off from where he was clinging onto Dude, panting slightly from the exertion.

One of the benefits from growing up on the isle is that running was a necessity. Otherwise he figured his friends would've left him far behind, though another part tried to argue and say they wouldn't really leave him.

Mal jerked on the door, surprising all of them when it opened with no resistance. Upon closer inspection, they realized why.

"The lock's broke," Mal explained as she glanced up at the dark hallway with slight fear in her eyes, "Our parents have definitely been through here."

Evie seemed to pale slightly, shuffling so she stood closer to Jay. Carlos didn't blame her, itching to do the same but knew under a confrontation with their parents Jay would do everything to protect them with little regard of himself. Carlos decided it would be best if he was on his own.

"Alright guys," Mal whispered in the darkness, back tense in anticipation as she turned to lock gazes with each of them, "We can do this."

"After you," Jay agreed and she glared before creeping inside, Carlos following last and stopped the door from clanging shut behind him.

It clicked in place, sending an eerie chill down Carlos's spine as he followed silently. The hall was bare, doors lining either side as the shadows seemed to warp into invisible almost ghostlike figures. Carlos blinked at the thought, gripping Dude a little tighter.

He knew he would do anything to protect the dog from his mother, recalling the many stories she would often brag about how she killed dogs for their coats. He wouldn't let her take one of the only things he genuinely cares for.

"Anyone know which door to look in?" Jay whispered suddenly, causing Mal to jump in surprise.

She spun around to glare, eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. If the situation wasn't so nerve-wracking then he probably would've found it in himself to laugh. Instead he gripped Dude a little tighter, almost certain he was crushing the poor animal.

Mal hissed something about being quiet, Evie already sneaking around her to a door identical to the rest in the hall. Identical except for the lock, broken and she quickly ushered for them over before pushing it open with her fingertips.

They entered as one, bunched together in a tight group as they sought out comfort from each other. It helped but not much as he realized what they were doing was incredibly dumb. He also knew that it had to be done. Chad had already been injured and despite his roots Carlos has found himself grow incredibly fond of the people here.

The room was too dark to make anything out, he couldn't even see Dude still in his arms and they stopped barely inside.

"Find the light switch," Mal commanded and they dispersed in their search, but as it turned out there was no need.

The door slammed closed about the same time the room was illuminated in a bright green light, twisting the cream color of the walls into something foal and poisonous. Several feet away, all his friends tensed at a menacing voice spoke by the doorway.

"Hello children."

* * *

Ben was woken by a frantic pounding at his doorway.

He groaned, blinked bleary eyes open before crawling out from under his warm sheets to answer. It was Doug, eyes frantic, and he didn't stop knocking when the door gave away. He stumbled in surprise, Ben catching his shoulders and help straighten him back out.

"Doug?" he yawned tiredly as his window indicated that the sun was just starting to come up, peaking over the horizon in vibrant colors, "What are you doing up so early?"

"I went to check on Evie," he explained hurriedly and something cold curled inside Ben's chest at the name, "but she wasn't in the room. Neither was Mal and I can't find them anywhere."

Ben bit back the urge to rip the school apart as he reassured as sensibly as he could, "They're probably in the boys' room. They tend to hang out with each other and the news of their parents probably has them all rattled."

It definitely had him, and everyone else once Fairy Godmother announced the news school wide, rattled. He also knew it was the reason Doug went to check on Evie at all, concerned about her in much the same way as he was about Mal.

"No," Doug denied shaking his head as he added quickly, "I checked there to. They're all gone."

Ben's chest constricted tightly as he demanded a little less calm then before, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that they're all gone," Doug confirmed and it was like a nightmare turned to reality, "The villain kids are all missing."


	8. Long Live Evil- 5

"Hello children," the Evil Queen greeted with a malice in her voice Jay can't recall ever hearing from her before; Maleficent, most definitely but not her who always seemed much more mellow compared to the other villains.

"Mother," Evie gasped, sounding frightened by her mom's sudden appearance and Jay tensed instinctively as he clamped down on the urge to rush forward and attack the Evil Queen.

The green fire lighting the room seemed to pulse vibrantly, casting poisonous shadows across the walls as the Evil Queen snarled, "What a disappointment you four turned out to be."

Evie flinched at her mother's words while Jay felt something twist in his chest. He knew that there hadn't really been any love between any of them and their parents. They were pawns, nothing more, and not that they failed them they were nothing. Enemies, even.

"What do you want?" Mal snapped, evidently on the same wavelength as Jay and just as eager to get their friend to stop looking like she lost her favorite blouse.

The Evil Queen turned her hardened stare towards Mal, narrowing on the purple headed teen and another wave of unease washed over Jay as he inched closer towards them.

"I want what we all wanted," the Evil Queen explained, her voice cold enough to freeze toes as she added, "and the only way to get what we want is to stop all of you."

"And awaken my mother," Mal growled and her voice was low and challenging.

"Precisely," the Evil Queen agreed with a slight dip of her head before she grinned menacingly and explained, "Unfortunately, the spell requires something none of us have: the blood of the person we're trying to awaken."

Jay froze, body tense as he locked gazes with Mal.

There was no way they could get Maleficent's blood, not in the state she ended up in, and the closest thing there was would be the blood from a relative. From a daughter.

"I won't let you," Mal shouted as she stepped back defensively, both Evie and Carlos looking as sick as Jay felt and he could literally feel his time running out.

"You don't have a choice," the Evil Queen sighed with another grin and there was a flash before something cold pierced Jay.

He screamed, collapsing to his knees as he felt something like liquid fire swirl through his veins. Somewhere far off he could vaguely make out Carlos and Evie's screams as he withered in pain on the floor.

"Stop it!" Mal's desperate voice cried, cutting through the thick fog that settled over Jay.

To his surprise, it did and he blinked to find himself back in the dark room, lying on the floor. His body felt suddenly weak as he lifted him off from the floor, straightening his back and the room swirled. Even still, he focused on his pale friend, green eyes now wide in panic and horror.

"Don't back down now missy," a masculine voice called from behind Jay and his body went rigid with something other than pain.

" _Dad_ ," he gasped and instinctively knew that whatever had just happened, Jafar had been the one behind it.

Mal swallowed, skin a waxy white as she shook her head and stepped forward bravely as she reassured, "I won't. Just, please, don't hurt them."

"Mal, _don't_ ," Carlos gasped and Jay twisted his head so he could see his smaller friend, sitting up with Dude still clutched to his chest.

He looked scared, but probably not so much for himself. He already figured they were screwed, but at least they could distract their parents long enough for someone to find and stop them. Someone just had to figure out where the villains would go once off the isle.

Carlos cried out in pain again, eyes screwing shut as he clutched Dude tightly. Evie called out in protest, Jay right behind her when Mal stepped forward again, arm outstretched in front of her.

"Stop hurting him, all of them," she pleaded as she neared the Evil Queen, "I won't fight you."

The Evil Queen seemed to smirk in her victory, Carlos's cry cutting off as he slumped back forward. His freckles stood out like small specks amongst his translucent skin and he still seemed slightly dazed. Jafar had stopped hurting him, though, so Jay turned his attention back to the situation at hand.

"Bring me the bowl," the Evil Queen commanded and Cruella appeared clutching one of the bowls from the kitchen.

Jay's stomach dropped at the sight, a bad feeling settling over him as he watched the Evil Queen grasp Mal's wrist and jerked her forward. Mal bit her lip not even wincing when the Evil Queen pricked her on the finger, dripping several crimson drops in the mix.

"That's it?" Mal demanded once she jerked her hand free, tucking the limb close to her body.

"That's it," the Evil Queen agreed with a slight hum in her voice, "and our revenge starts today."

* * *

They were herded together in the center of the room, bound together so that when Carlos suddenly jerked forward screaming because Cruella took Dude from him they all felt it.

Evie hissed in pain as the ropes dug in her ribs. Carlos continued to thrash wildly, begging for his mother to not be so cruel and her heart broke at the sound. Beside her, Mal had gone real tense and quiet and Jay seemed to be practically vibrating with his fury.

It wasn't until Cruella slapped Carlos that Evie practically leapt too.

She jerked, suddenly angry because Cruella had just hit Carlos. She took his best friend away and then struck him when he tried getting him back.

"I never loved you," Cruella sneered and the words struck sharp because Evie knew Carlos had already known that, but hearing them spoken out loud seemed somehow infinitely worst.

"Enough!" the Evil Queen shouted as Jay had stopped fidgeting and instead went dangerously still and quiet. Mal too and Evie was thankful to know she wasn't the only one suddenly out for Carlos's mom's blood.

"You'll never get away with this," Mal finally spoke, her voice calm and collected as Evie imagined her glaring at their parents, "Someone will stop you."

"I seriously doubt it," the Evil Queen replied calmly as she clutched the bowl near her chest, "and once we awaken Maleficent the first thing we're going to do is punish you four. What was the point of even having you if you were just going to turn into such major disappointments?"

"You don't understand mother," Evie protested finding her voice as she pleaded with her mom with her eyes, "There's so much in the world then what you taught us."

The Evil Queen met her eyes with a hardened glare of her own, chilling Evie to the core, as she practically snarled, "The only thing in this world is disappointment."

Evie refused to allow the words to affect her.

She knew her mom had been hurt. She knew all the villains had been and by locking them away on the isle they grew impossibly more bitter, never ones to handle being caged very well. And they've had plenty of years to build their plan for vengeance.

Now it was happening and nothing anybody said or did was going to stop them.

"I thought I raised you better," Jafar chided from Evie's left, where Jay was.

"What you _taught_ me was to only look out for myself," Jay hissed and he sounded angry, "but I don't want to only ever think of me. I have friends and a team and people I care about."

"Ah yes," the Evil Queen cut in as she continued to eye the four of them, "You're little group of friends. I must say, I'm upset that you thought our alliance was enough for the four of you to become _friends_."

"We never expected any of you to understand," Mal growled and her voice was dripping venom as she practically snarled, "and whatever you're going to do with us hurry up and do it."

"Very well," the Evil Queen agreed before the green fire lighting the room seemed to swirl as she started chanting.

It was the last thing Evie remembered before she sank into darkness.

* * *

To say Ben was freaking out would be an understatement, just like saying the events that led to his parents' marriage was odd, but now that they were trapped there was no communication with his parents and he didn't trust himself to know what to do especially now that the four villains' kids were missing.

He had to take charge, though, because Doug was staring at him like he expected him to. So he drug the dwarf's son to Fairy Godmother's office and practically broke it down with his fist and quickly filled her in about what was happening.

She was silent and somber, and has been since the barrier was discovered and Chad had been hurt. Ben had been careful to not associate that as fear because there was no way she could be scared. She was in charge and if she was scared then that meant Ben should also be afraid.

She did seem to pale when he told her the kids were missing.

"Do you have any idea where they would've gone?" she demanded once she ushered them in the office, shutting the door behind her.

"We know they probably went after their parents," Doug rushed and he was pale and very frightened looking and Ben remembered the way he looked at Evie, like she was the sun.

"They can't do that," Fairy Godmother muttered as she shook her head, going over to her desk and ruffling through the papers, "They're no match for their parents."

Ben swallowed because he knew what she meant.

They'd barely survived Maleficent's attack, and though he's still foggy on the details he's almost certain they wouldn't have won without Mal.

"Can you find them?" he asked because he was terrified for Mal and the others, having grown very close to them.

"I think so," Fairy Godmother nodded before pulling out a tablet and clicking several buttons on the screen before she furrowed her brow and muttered, "The locks of the west wing have been broken."

"What are we waiting for?" Doug demanded as he spun to head towards the door and Ben mentally applauded him for his sudden bravo.

"No," Fairy Godmother denied as she grabbed her wand they had yet return to the museum, "You have to stay here. I'll go alone."

Ben opened his mouth to protest but she silenced him with a look; beside him Doug was tense and taut as he too help in his protests.

The isle kids were their friends but Fairy Godmother was the one in charge of them and they didn't have time to argue with her.

She left the room and Doug seemed to immediately spin on him and demanded, "Are we just going to stand here and wait?"

"Of course not," Ben agreed as he headed towards the door and threw it open before he added in a softer tone, "My parents are going to kill me."

That is, if the villains didn't get to it first.

* * *

The run to west wing took longer than he would've liked and by the time they rushed through the entrance they could hear the sounds of a fight. They just hadn't expected for Fairy Godmother to be _losing_ when they found the room.

Good was always supposed to triumphant evil, right?

Ben was broken from his thoughts when Doug cried out Evie's name and he realized the four villain kids were also in the room, lying limply on the ground looking too pale and lifeless. It was like a nightmare.

Fairy Godmother cried out, hitting the wall and falling as Doug suddenly screamed when he was grabbed by Cruella. Ben leapt in surprise, spinning so he could help his friend.

Doug jerked in the hold the same time Ben rammed her in the back. Cruella stumbled but managed to stay upright as she released Doug so she could spin around and face him. It was the closest he's ever gotten to a villain and the sudden closeness unnerved him.

"What do you want?" he demanded anyways, voice quivering slightly and he idly wondered how the others looked upon their parents with the bravado they had.

"Revenge," Cruella sneered, "and a new fur coat."

She shoved him and he stumbled back, his arm caught by Jafar who glared menacingly at him before something cold shot through him and he was paralyzed. Doug, who had rushed to his aid, suddenly froze mid step.

"No!" Fairy Godmother screamed but the Evil Queen silenced her when she reared back and struck her with the bowl she was clutching.

"What do you want?" Ben demanded helplessly as he gazed at Evie's mother.

"Vengeance against everyone who ever wronged me," she explained before narrowing her gaze and seeming to brighten in recognition as she added, "Starting with you and your parents. Tell me, how do you think they'll react when they find that their son was one of the first ones to fall?"

Ben twitched, blood boiling, because he knew exactly how his parents would react. They'd be crushed, devastated and he couldn't allow them to feel such pain.

"How could you attack your own children?" Doug demanded, drawing Ben's attention to where he was still frozen in place, Cruella hovering behind him.

"Our children are _traitors_ ," Jafar snarled, "and you two talk too much."

Doug cried out in pain, skin turning ashy as he tumbled over to the ground. Ben cried out in protest before something seemed to crush his skull from within and he tumbled over in oblivion too.


	9. Long Live Evil 6

Mal blinked green eyes open, confused and a little disorientated as she realized she was lying on the floor with Fairy Godmother shaking her shoulder. Her face appeared pale and distraught, concerned about something, and it was enough to shock the teen back into awareness better than a bucket full of ice ever could have.

"What happened?" she demanded instantly, eyes taking in her surroundings.

Doug was crouched beside Evie, who was still unconscious and something foul entered Mal's mouth as she realized the guys were equally as still.

"What's wrong with them?" she asked, crawling over to Jay who just so happened to be the closest.

She reached out pale fingers, brushing long dark strands from his face as she waited for Fairy Godmother to speak, to explain any of this because she was so confused and cold and scared.

She hates being scared.

"The villains knocked you four out," Fairy Godmother explained as she went over to shake Evie back into awareness, "and they took Ben."

Something cold froze Mal's insides at the words, a sudden sensation of panic overcoming her as she realized the boy whom she loved dearly was in the hands of her friends' parents. She tensed, her shoulders rigid as she struggled to breathe.

"What?" she asked, voice sounding lost and confused as her heart fluttered wildly in her chest.

Fairy Godmother glanced over at her, Evie groaning on the ground beside her as she finally came to and repeated much more cautious, "The villains took Ben. I have no idea why."

 _Because they want revenge. They want to make the queen and king_ hurt _in ways they'll never recover from- like taking their child from them._

"Mal, sweetie, you're hurting him," Fairy Godmother suddenly said, breaking her from her trance as she blinked and realized her fingers had curled in tight fists around Jay's temple.

She relaxed immediately, moving back so the kindly woman could rouse him from whatever spell had been placed upon them. Several feet away, Doug was speaking to a dazed looking Evie, hand curled around her shoulder as his face was knotted up in concern. Mal gambled a guess and decided he was filling her in over what happened, how their parents had overcome them and took Ben.

"I've got to go rescue him," she gasped, already rising to her feet.

That, it seemed, shocked Evie from her dumb expression.

"Mal," she said, scrambling to her feet and catching her wrist and Mal knew she was the only conscious person in the room who would've been brave enough to attempt that; especially considering how Mal seemed to be overcome with the urge of finding Ben and tearing those who took him apart.

She doesn't have many people she cares for, the need to protect those she does almost overwhelming.

Unfortunately for her, Evie was also one of those people which meant she was also one of the few who could hold her back from doing something insanely rash and stupid.

"E," Mal protested, bowing her head and jerking at her wrist weakly, "They have Ben."

"I know," Evie whispered and Jay groaned as he was finally roused, Fairy Godmother staying long enough to make sure he was okay before moving on to Carlos, "but you can't do this alone. You don't have to."

"You don't understand," Mal protested, voice raised in a whine as she spun to stare frantic eyes at her friend, "They're going to wake my mother and then use Ben as revenge."

Evie's grip around her wrist tightened as she squeezed- probably unconsciously- and Mal could see her visibly swallow as she paled slightly. Mal knew her words struck something inside her friend and though Evie seemed the least close towards Ben, she knew she cared about what happened to him.

Ben had that annoying quality about him.

"Hey," Jay groaned, sitting upright and rubbing his head and he looked so confused and lost Mal allowed Evie to drag her over to check on him.

"Hey," Evie greeted as she crouched down in front of him, gentle hand resting against his shoulder as she met his gaze with a worried expression of her own, "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible. What happened?" he asked and Mal swallowed, still standing behind Evie as her concern for her friend kept her tethered.

Evie glanced at her, a flash of something Mal couldn't detect, before she turned and whispered in a feather light voice, "Our parents took Ben."

Jay froze, body rigid, as he glanced at Evie before turning to stare intensely at Mal and demanded, "Seriously?"

Mal swallowed again, not trusting her voice so she nodded.

Jay's face seemed to scrunch up in fury, probably the most like Mal in the way he responds to people hurting those he cares for- which is not well- and she knew it would take a lot more than Evie to keep them both from doing something incredibly stupid.

Carlos groaned.

The sound seemed to shock Jay from his blind rage as he twisted so he could catch a glimpse at their smallest friend. He quickly moved over to where he was, bending over and speaking in a low voice and Mal knew it was because Carlos was the youngest, physically smaller than the rest of them, and somewhere that meant that he was the one who needed to be the most protected.

It wasn't because he was weak, surviving with Cruella was testimony to that. It was just because he seemed to draw the shortest stick out of the four of them, alone before he met any of them and has suffered more than he'd ever like to share.

He went to sit up but Jay gently guided him back down, face bunched up in concern and Mal remembered something else: his mom took Dude.

He must have suddenly remembered too because he suddenly bolted upright, eyes frantic as he searched the room for his dog only to come up empty and then something very surprising happened. His face morphed into something ugly and angry.

"Whoa buddy," Jay protested as Carlos scrambled to his feet, quick despite just having woken up.

"I'm going to kill her," he snarled, Jay quick to wrap his arm around Carlos's middle and their friend squirmed before he snapped, "Let go of me Jay. I have to go rescue my dog."

Jay made no move to release him.

"Come on Jay," Carlos whined, a slight hitch to his voice now though his fingers were entwined in the cloth of Jay's sleeves, his knuckles white and even then Mal could tell he was shaking.

He was worried about Dude, like how she was worried about Ben.

"Carlos," she said surprising herself as she stepped past Evie so she could bend over and met his dark eyes, "We'll find our parents and we're going to stop them. No one's going to hurt anyone, got it?"

He was silent for a long time, just staring at her like he didn't quite believe what he was hearing, before he nodded slowly. She offered one last supportive smirk before straightening back up and locking eyes with Jay, who looked seconds from restraining her next.

"Children," Fairy Godmother suddenly spoke, shocking them because they had forgotten that she was there, and Mal turned to face her.

The kindly woman was frowning now, an expression that did her no favors, as she seemed to take each of them in. Beside her, Doug shifted from foot to foot nervously and if the situation wasn't so dire Mal would've laughed in realization.

They came from the isle, they were different. Not bad or evil but not exactly good either. They didn't know what they were capable of, and some part of Mal hoped no one would have to find out just how far they are capable of going.

"Don't worry," Evie spoke, eyes flickering between the woman and Doug, her face impassive of all emotion and Mal could tell that she was trying to figure out the best way to go about this, "We'll stop them."

"It's too dangerous," Fairy Godmother protested, stepping forward like she was enough to stop them, "I can't let you."

"We're not asking," Jay said and he released Carlos so he could eye the woman intimidatingly, "and we don't need your permission. They're our parents, we'll deal with them. Come on guys."

They started towards the door, together, and Mal liked how familiar it was- how comfortable- and she wondered how she ever got by not knowing these guys. At the door, though, she stopped and turned to face them, faces pale and eyes wide in something akin to shock and she knew that they would never be prepared to take on their parents. This was something they had to do.

"Don't worry," she said, making each word sound like a promise, "We'll stop them and bring Ben back safely."

Because if he was hurt then Mal can't be responsible for what she does next.

* * *

The call came sometime in the morning, late enough that the sun was still shining yet early enough for nobody to fully be awake.

"Honey," Belle groaned and he felt the way her body turned to face him, her weight dipping in the mattress and he blinked groggy eyes open so he could fully see her beauty.

She loved him when no one else would, something he should've remembered when his son had been dealing with the villains' kids. After all, he had been given a second chance yet refused to give any to the children who he knew deserved it.

"Yes darling," he asked, voice still husky from sleep and though she was slightly blurred from his failing eyesight he could make out enough details to see she had just been woken up.

"The phone," she demanded and he got the message, groaning internally to himself.

"I've got it," he said and he heard her snicker when he climbed from the bed to retrieve the obnoxious object.

The day before they got the call about the barrier and how everyone was trapped inside the school, but he had faith that Fairy Godmother would keep the children safe. After all, the villains' revenge had nothing to do with the school but him so he wasn't all that concerned by it.

That is, until he answered the phone.

He isn't entirely sure what happened next, only that the phone somehow slipped from his hand and clanged noisily against the marble floor. The room spun and his knees felt weak and the commotion was enough to draw Belle from the covers.

"Honey, what is it? What's wrong?" she asked, voice low in concern.

He doesn't know if he told her or not- he can't remember- but he figured he must have because the next moment she let out a cry of anguish as she sank down to the floor beside him; the words from the other line echoing in his head over and over again on repeat.

 _"_ _They have Ben."_

* * *

Their parents were almost embarrassingly predictable, and almost incapable considering by the time they got there they still hadn't managed to recover Maleficent. Mal didn't much care for them, though, eyes immediately seeking out the one person she cared for.

Ben was awake, frozen in place. He was slightly paler than normal but otherwise unhurt and they must have frozen him in place because there was no signs of restraints as far as Mal could tell. His eyes were narrowed and furious and if he had been capable of speaking he probably would've declared on how they would never get away with this.

After all, they were the villains and villains always lose.

Except this wasn't a fairy tale and if Fairy Godmother had contacted Ben's parents like she suspects then they already have.

The Evil Queen raised her hands as whatever she was chanting increased and Mal realized she was close and then they'd have a very peeved off Maleficent to deal with.

"Mother, no!" Evie cried and it was so abrupt and unlike her that it took Mal a second to realize that it was indeed her friend who had spoken.

It worked, nevertheless.

All the eyes in the room trained on them and Mal took careful stock to count the other two villains, keeping them in her range of sight. Jafar was standing near Ben, obviously the one keeping him trapped in place. Cruella was across the room, clutching Dude in a manner that was neither loving nor compassionate.

"Children," the Evil Queen spoke, voice calm as she turned to face them in all her icy glory and Mal briefly wondered how she had managed to trick all of those people into thinking she was a good queen, "We've been expecting you."

"Stop this mother," Evie continued and Mal was surprised by the boldness of her friend.

The isle might've hardened them but the school had added a sort of edge to them. A reason to question their parents for the first time.

"I'm sorry," the Evil Queen responded as she turned back to the spell, "but I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Then I'm sorry too," Evie responded and before anybody knew what was happening, she raised the mirror and chanted something Mal couldn't understand.

There was a flash before all the lights exploded above them, bathing them in darkness and Mal took that as her cue to move.

Reacting on instinct and memory, she rushed over to where they had been keeping Ben. Reaching out, her fingers connected with his chilly flesh and she nearly fainted in relief when she finally got a hold of her trouble-prone boyfriend.

"You're going to be okay," she reassured softly, maneuvering her body in a protective stance.

Behind her, something moved and she had just enough time to spin around before something came hurtling towards her. She flinched but refused to move from in front of Ben, and was pleasantly surprised when nothing hit her.

Blinking one eye open, she saw a dark figure in front of her. His body was tense and he seemed to be fighting with someone and she had enough time to figure it was Jay fighting his father before whatever spell keeping Ben tethered broke and he suddenly found his voice.

"Mal," he gasped, cold fingers gripping her arms tightly as he tried jerking her behind him, "You can't be here. It's too dangerous."

"No," she protested as she gently shoved his hands away, "It's where I belong. I'm sorry you got caught up in our parents' little feud."

She kissed him in the dark, before pressing her hands to his chest and chanted in soft words the spell she memorized after her mother's first defeat. There was a sudden chill before her boyfriend disappeared, leaving her in a room trapped with their vindictive parents.

* * *

One second Ben was standing with Mal, and the next he wasn't. Naturally, panic was his first reaction.

"Mal?" he asked though he knew she wasn't there because it was no longer dark and he was no longer in any danger.

"Ben?"

He spun around, surprised to see Doug sprinting towards him. The pale boy slowed down, eyes wide, as he demanded, "Where's Evie and the others?"

"I don't know," Ben responded, voice distraught even to him, as he explained what happened; Doug only seemed to grow increasingly more pale and concerned with each word.

"We need to find them," Doug declared like Ben hadn't already came to that conclusion himself, before there was a crackle of thunder and a flash of something bright.

"What?" Doug asked in dumb shock as he stared up at the sky, something close to dread circling down Ben's spine at the sight.

It never stormed there, ever, which meant something was very wrong.

* * *

By the time they made it back to the room Ben had been taken, the only thing inside was Maleficent still bound in her enchanted cage and it should've been a relief but all Ben felt was dread because the other kids should've been there too.

"I don't under," Doug said beside him, voice thin, and Ben went to reply when someone else beat him to it.

"No? It's not all that complicated."

They spun, as one, only to come face to face with the villains' kids victorious smirks and though Ben was relieved to see them all okay it didn't escape his attention that they had won against their parents, something no one really thought was possible.

He didn't ponder it for long, too relieved to remain still, and he rushed forward to swoop Mal up and swing her around in a circle and he knew he was grinning like a fool. He didn't care, though, as Mal grinned back at him and for the moment that was enough.

A little later when Fairy Godmother found them they would have to worry about the barrier and how they all looked moments from passing out. At the moment though, he was just relieved to have Mal back safe in his arms and the others close by- safe from their parents- and he was determined to keep it that way.

Like it was meant to be.

* * *

 **So this little (long) arc is finally done. YEA! I hope everyone's enjoyed it and I'm always open to requests so don't be afraid to tell me what you'd like to see in a review and I'll try to find time to write it for you. All reviews are welcomed. Until then, good day.**


	10. In Sickness and In Health

**So this little fluffy thing was requested by AinsleyWright who asked for sick Mal and caring Ben. Naturally, I couldn't help but to comply since Ben and Mal are simply precious so... yeah. Also, I changed the rating of this to complete since I probably won't add stuff to this unless someone requests something so if you want more make sure to review and tell me.**

 **Thanks for your patience and, like always, enjoy.**

* * *

It happened- like most colds do- unexpectedly.

Naturally, Ben had been the first to notice. His eyebrows furrowing in concern as she approached him one day in the hall, hands already outstretched as if to comfort her. It was all so bizarre, having someone that suddenly cared for her as a person and not an item.

"You alright?" he asked, not even bothering to hid the concern in his voice as he stared at her in that way that made her seem so exposed.

"I'm fine," Mal responded right before she sneezed; Ben didn't reply with words, just raising a disbelieving eyebrow at her and that all somehow seemed worst then if he had called her out.

She just wasn't used to having someone that cared so much. It wasn't like the isle was stock full of Bens anyways, which she counted as a blessing. It meant that there was more of the boy for her, which she admitted sounded more than slightly possessive but the first lesson she learned was to never share unless you wished to be stolen from.

And Ben was everything right in her life. Pure. Good. Nice in ways she was just coming to discover as day by day she slowly came to realize there was so much more to the world than just stealing and cheating and clawing one's self to the top so they could perhaps live another day.

Plus, he showed her strawberries for the first time and there was no way she was letting that go.

She rubbed her nose as she admitted, head bowed only slightly, "I just have a slight sniffle. Nothing serious."

A hand, soft and cool, ended up on her forehead causing her to jerk back in surprise as she demanded with a narrowed gaze, " _What_ are you doing?"

"Checking your temperature," he replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world as he reached back out to take her face in his hands, "and you're burning up."

"It's nothing," she reassured but she didn't jerk away as she allowed the prince to coddle her, "I used to get these all the time back on the isle."

He froze.

She knew only because his fingers suddenly went rigid and she fluttered green eyes open to take in that pale mask of something she was unable to identify. She frowned, tipping her head to the side as she racked her brain for something she might have possible said wrong.

"All the time?" he repeated suddenly, deliberately, as his hands moved from her face to her grasp and it almost hurt how hard he squeezed them, "And did anyone ever take care of you?"

Mal puckered her expression as she demanded in a sarcastic tone, "Who? Maleficent? Come on Ben, surely you know better-"

She sneezed, interrupting her train of thought.

His face changed back to one of concern as he decided in that firmly gentle way of his, "Let's get you to bed and then we can talk."

Mal obeyed for the most part, protesting only once that she really was _okay_ and didn't need to sleep but the thought seemed to appealing to deny for too long. Before she knew it, she was in her bed with Ben beside her with a damp washcloth.

He was gently dabbing her face with it, eyes sparkling with unconcealed concern and it made something inside her chest twist painfully. It wasn't normal, seeing someone so vulnerable all the time and some part of her was convinced that Ben would never be able to survive on the isle.

Then she remembered that there was more to the boy in front of her. A sort of iron in his blood and anyone brave enough to face everyone they grew up with a sided with complete strangers had to be strong. Braver than most, at least, and something worth admiring.

"I'm guessing there wasn't many doctors on the isle," Ben finally spoke after the silence stretched thinly between them, eyes still worried but there was something else in them now.

"There was a clinic," Mal explained as she blinked back at the boy and marveled at how much more difficult it was to figure him out, "In case you got _seriously_ injured. Not for little sniffles and coughs."

"Well in my experience," Ben added as he eyed her seriously, moving the washcloth so it was in his lap, "Little sniffles and coughs can turn into something deadly."

"Yeah. Well," Mal shrugged lost for words as she ducked her head and added, "No one had the time to treat every little thing. They made you tough and anyone unable to handle it just wasn't tough. It's as simple as that."

"No. It isn't," Ben disagreed and though he didn't raise his voice she still flinched.

"You just don't understand," she tried, turning to stare at him and realized that he probably did which was why he was so angry all of a sudden.

It wasn't exactly like he made it a secret of how much he hated the conditions they grew up in.

" _Mal_ ," he replied and it came out sounding more like begging then he probably meant, "Did you ever end up in the clinic."

She blinked at the sudden change before she puckered her lips and shook her head.

"My mother wasn't physically abusive," she explained, a sudden flare of anger shooting through her as she realized that she had saw Carlos there once before they became friends and it was the first time she's ever wondered how frequent he had ended up there.

Then Ben was taking her hand in his again as he reassured, "Don't worry. You don't ever have to worry about your mother again," and she was too tired to tell him that she _wasn't_. She already learned to conquer the fear of her mother. It was what she was capable of doing to those she cared for- to Ben- that frightened her.

"I know," she responded instead, eyes fluttering close as the idea of sleep became infinitely more appealing.

"It's alright now," he continued as if saying it enough times would make it true; for all she knew it would as he added, "I'll take care of you."

And the funny part was that she believed him.


	11. Those Who Wrong Us

**Another short little snippet, this one for a guest who wanted for Mal to have ended up in the clinic because she was protecting Carlos and then it kind of ran away. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Don't be afraid to leave your ideas and if you've left one and I haven't written anything yet, fear not. I promise I'm getting to it.**

* * *

The one time Mal ended up in the clinic for any sort of physical infliction was when she bruised her knuckles breaking someone's nose.

She hadn't wanted to go, of course, not for something that seemed so petty but Carlos had refused unless she agreed to get checked out also. Since he was the one with the split lip and black eye, she had no choice but to comply- grumbling the entire time of conniving little pests.

It seemed to have made Carlos happier, at least, as he sat beside her slumped form and chattered like they were childhood friends. They weren't, she couldn't stand the insufferable kid when they had been younger, but now she endured it all with furrowed brows and a tight scowl.

"Carlos De Vil," what served as the doctor, a tall skinny man dressed in dark purples, called silencing the boy and sending his head whipping in the general direction.

He rose slowly, moving past her and to some room she wasn't able to sit from her current spot. She instantly pushed those thoughts away, and when her leg started bouncing it was just a coincidence that Carlos had also disappeared.

Not even five minutes later, he came back out. His face was slumped down slightly, like he had been chastised for getting beat up. Knowing the isle, he probably had.

"You're up," he grumbled a little less enthusiastic then he had before, dropping down in the seat next to her.

She blinked before rising and going back. He hadn't even glanced at her knuckles before he declared her fine- which she was, really- and dismissed them both with a slight grumble and shake of the head. She left his office without another word, slipping quietly from the room like she was prone to doing.

Carlos was still where she left him, slumped with his arms crossed over his thin chest and it was the first time she realized he looked beyond unhappy. It made her chest hurt in ways she didn't know it was capable of, as her blood called out for retribution. She was just clueless of why.

"I hate this place," he told her when she stopped in front of him, making no move to get up from his seat.

She just huffed, crossing her arms and cocking her hip to the side. She raised her eyebrow as if demanding an explanation from him.

Carlos didn't offer any.

He just rose from his seat before grumbling under his breathe, "Let's get out of here."

She followed him out of the clinic, not saying a word even when he took her away from the town and didn't stop until they were the closest they could make it to the closest thing that resembled a shore on the isle. Even then, it was being generous.

Waves crashed into the rocky surface several feet under their feet and whenever she looked out to the mainland across the water, the image was disoriented and blurry. A reminder that they were all prisoners under a dome, out casted and unloved.

"You come here often?" she had to ask because he seemed more comfortable then he had been in the clinic, shoulders slumped as he continued staring off towards the mainland with a neutral expression.

His lip was swollen and red and his left eyes had already started to blacken around the edges, making his thoughtful expression seem more drawn. Older even, which was crazy.

"Enough times," he finally whispered bending over to pick up a loose pebble and hurled it towards the ocean only for it to bounce harmlessly off the dome, bouncing back against the rocky cliff and landing somewhere at the bottom, "Mostly whenever my mother is in one of her moods."

Mal swallowed, knowing that Cruella always seemed like a horrible parent but had always figured that they were all like that. Not one on the isle could ever come close to being anything close to loving or compassionate- out only for themselves and whatever strives they held before their punishment.

Something about the way he worded it, the way it came out, had her wondering just how bad it was. After all, the only reason he had ever gotten punched in the first place was because some idiot compared him to his mother, declaring that he was going to grow up just like her. Crazy and alone.

Mal didn't even know Carlos was capable of snapping the way he had.

Unfortunately for the youth, he was physically smaller than all his other classmates and had been subdued easily. She supposed it was also fortunate for his attacker that she hadn't been Jay because though she could make her hits hurt, Jay wouldn't have known when to stop. Not until the idiot was a near comatose mess on the floor.

"Carlos-" Mal started but he interrupted her, bowing his head and clenching his hands tightly to his sides as if to contain his emotion.

" _Save it_ ," he growled lowly, voice fierce, "I _know_ that she's a villain and I know it's what villains do and I should just accept that. I just look at her and think to myself that I _can't_ be like that. I can never be like her."

Mal supposed that made sense though she was the one who's only purpose in life seemed to please her mother- to be good enough for her mom to finally accept her.

"Then don't," Mal decided as she focused back on the mainland several miles away, "Be your own villain because one day we're getting off this rock and when we do we'll finally have our revenge."

"You mean our parents' revenge?" Carlos clarified, meeting her stare unyieldingly and she had to blink at his words.

She's never thought of it before, taking in her mom's visions of vengeance as her own. That didn't mean she didn't strive of getting off the isle and making those who put her there suffer.

So she shrugged and replied simply enough, "Whatever you cause it, the day is nearing. I can feel it."

To that, Carlos said nothing.


	12. What Friends Are For

**So since I've gotten several requests for sick Carlos so I've decided to see what I could come up with and since the last chapter was with Mal and Carlos I've decided that this time it would be with Evie and Jay but at two separate times (it makes more since once you read the story). Like always, hope you guys enjoy and remember to review and tell me what you want to see. Until then, have a day.**

* * *

Three months before they were all forced to go to school, Carlos got sick. Really sick, one that he was half-convinced that this was the end. He was going to die.

To no one's surprise, Cruella didn't care. She didn't even notice as her only son laid half-conscious on his mattress in the closet, so sick he could hardly move. And he knew he was in trouble when it became a chore to breath- something, he found, he couldn't go very long without doing.

So it came as a shock when he woke up, delirious and hotter than hot only to find Evie perched at the side of his mattress. Her perfectly groomed eyebrows were wrinkled with concern, a small bowl settled in her lap as she seemed to bend over and dab at his forehead.

"What are you doing?" he managed, voice raspy from underuse as he struggled to prop himself up.

"You're ill," Evie replied reaching over to push him back against the mattress as she added almost like it was obvious, "You need someone to care for you and heaven knows your mother won't."

Carlos frowned because through his sick-haze he could've sworn he had detected a hint of bitterness from the girl, but that was impossible. No one on the isle was really bitter with each other, everyone too busy directing all that hate towards the mainland.

"You need your sleep," Evie whispered to him before he had a chance to reply as she pressed something thick and wet against his forehead, over his eyes, "You're burning up."

He already knew that. What he didn't know was why Evie cared. It wasn't like they were friends, having gone on only one mission together. Did that make them friends? He can't remember.

" _Evie_ ," he groaned going to sit back up but found he was too weak, collapsing back on the mattress without her assistance that time. A low groan escaped his throat as he felt sleep pull at his eyelids, threatening to take him back under.

"Carlos I'm serious," she informed him, voice hard and serious as she narrowed dark eyes down on him like she would a naughty child.

"So am I," Carlos bit back but it didn't come out very impressive considering his voice was raw from coughing, "Why are you really here? I can't get you in my mother's coat room."

Evie frowned, the words seeming to make her uncomfortable and he half-expected for her to get up and leave him there. It probably would've been better that way, let him rot alone like everyone said he would. What was that phrase his mother was so fond of saying?

 _'_ _You came into this world alone and that's how you're going out.'_

Yeah. That was it.

His eyelids dropped, Evie bending over to press the cloth back against his forehead. Gently. Delicately. He snapped both his eyes back open to stare at her face.

"Evie," he growled before it broke off in a hacking cough so bad he had to roll over so he wouldn't suffocate. Evie's small hand laid gently against his shoulder in a supportive manner.

"Stop talking so much you stubborn brat," Evie growled at him and he didn't have to look to know she was glaring at him, "You need rest."

No duh.

"I was resting," Carlos informed as he rolled back on the mattress to blink at her like it was obvious, "but now I'm more concerned on why you're still here."

"Because I'm your friend and that's what friends do," she told him simply, dipping the cloth back in the bowl before trailing it over his arms cooling his skin.

Carlos blinked at the conviction in her words before he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are we?"

"We are," she assured simply not meeting his eyes this time, "Now sleep before I make you."

Carlos snorted, his lips twitching up in whatever served as a smile on the isle as he coughed once more before rasping, "I'd like to see you try."

He doesn't know if she responded or not, allowing himself to slip into the sweet beckoning of sleep.

* * *

The next time he fell ill it was several weeks after the defeat of Maleficent, it striking him so suddenly.

It had been during practice, he remembered, when he suddenly grew real dizzy and confused. He had to stop so he wouldn't topple over, and unfortunately had missed the person sprinting towards him until they had collided head on.

He fell back, vision momentarily blackening out but it couldn't have been for very long because when it cleared back out he was staring up at the bright blue sky that differed so much than back on the isle. Somewhere above him he could hear Jay and Chad's laughter as the team crowded around the two of them.

It wasn't very often someone got tackled during practice so the few times it did happen usually supplied as entertainment.

"Where's your head at de vil?" the coach demanded but it sounded far off and he twisted his head to try and catch sight of him.

He coughed in reply, barely able to support himself on his elbows as he attempted to climb back to his feet. His head spun, making him dizzy, and he knew he was seconds from passing out in front of everyone on the team.

"Carlos?" Ben's gentle voice asked suddenly right next to his ear, surprising him enough that he started to topple back over.

Ben's hand latched onto his arm, preventing him from making another complete fool of himself and it was only because they were so close that Carlos was able to hear the older boy's small hiss.

"Carlos, you're burning up," he told him and Carlos frowned because he didn't feel particularly hot- in fact, if anything, he felt slightly chilly.

"I'm fine," he managed going to jerk his arm away but was too weak.

Ben guided him to a sitting position, removing his helmet from his head so he could now peer into the other boy's concerned eyes. Behind him several of the other boys on the team were also peering down on him in worry.

It wasn't often anybody went down and when they did it was never Jay or Carlos, unless they were attacking each other which never happened.

Ben set his hand against Carlos's forehead, keeping it there long enough to cause him to squirm back as he reassured that he was _fine_. He wasn't hot or sick or whatever he was worried that he was.

"Whoa man, have you always been that pale?" someone that sounded suspiciously like Chad demanded causing Carlos to frown because _of_ _course_ someone would take the time to make a jab towards him.

"Carlos," Ben spoke before Carlos got a chance to, drawing his attention back to him as he spoke in a lowered tone, "you need to go see the nurse."

He opened his mouth to reassure yet again that he was fine and that he needed to stop worrying when a pair of hands grabbed him by his armpits and jerked him back to his feet so fast he stumbled. Luckily, whoever grabbed him didn't move so he could lean against them for support.

"I'll take him," and that was Jay's voice.

Carlos frowned, spinning around to protest when the world tilted and he nearly ended up back on the grass. Thankfully Jay was there to catch him, dark eyes narrowed with concern as he glanced over at the coach for permission. The man sighed, taking one glance at Carlos and seemed to come to the same conclusion as everyone else as he crossed his arms and nodded.

"Alright. The rest of you, back in positions," he snapped and Carlos missed the rest as Jay grabbed him by his arm and lead him off the field.

* * *

"Are you insane?" Jay demanded a little too loudly as he continued pacing back and forth in front of him, shoulders hunched over in barely concealed concern.

Carlos flinched- more so because of the volume than the actual words- as he replied simply, "I didn't think it was that bad-"

Jay glared at him, cutting off the rest of the response because it had been that bad. Worst actually, considering his temperature had been reaching the high point of 104 and he ducked his expression again. His hands twisted around the comforter on his bed, not even remembering the trip from the nurse's office to their room which he probably should be concerned about.

"Carlos," Jay spoke and his voice was soft, friendly as he sat at the edge of his bed and whispered in a low tone, "If you left this untreated you could've ended up hospitalized. Or worst."

Carlos swallowed, still not meeting his friend's gaze as he thought back to how worried the nurse had been after taking his temperature. He also remembered how she had filled in to Jay exactly how bad Carlos was and he couldn't help thinking back to that one time on the isle when he was certain he was going to die.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I've just always dealt with these things by myself before I met you guys."

"That's not the point," Jay replied and he still sounded angry but less so as he sighed again, reaching out to set his hand against Carlos's forehead as he continued, "The point is that you have us now and you need to tell someone when you're not feeling good. I don't care if it turns out to be nothing," he paused as he pulled away before he asked rising to his feet, "Have you drank anything today?"

Carlos shook his head sheepishly, ducking his expression again.

"See, this is exactly what I mean," Jay replied and he threw both his arms in the air as he walked over to their fridge and pulled out a bottle of water before returning to his side and forcing it in his hands, "You're sick and dehydrated and you felt the need to keep it to yourself."

"Sorry Jay," Carlos murmured opening the bottle and taking several cautious sips.

"Good. You should be," Jay confirmed with a nod of the head before his face softened again and he added, "Just tell someone next time buddy. Alright?"

"Okay," Carlos reassured past several tentative sips of water. It wasn't much but it was a start.

It was also enough for the older boy as he nodded, taking the bottle from his hands and lying him back against the mattress with some command to go to sleep.

It didn't take very long for Carlos to obey, drifting off peacefully at the knowledge that he now had friends to take care of him.


End file.
